ARLINGTON, VA — The Washington Capitals welcomed some new friends to the rink this week for their yearly Hockey Fights Cancer skate. After finishing practice on Monday, the Capitals met with children and their families from local charities, including the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Mid-Atlantic Region, Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic, MedStar Health, Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and Horizon Day Camp – Metro DC.
Each player was paired with a child, getting to know them in the locker room before joining them out on the ice.
“It means a lot,” goaltender Logan Thompson said. “Cancer has affected a lot of people in my life, but you never ever stop fighting. These kids come out here with big smiles on their face. Sometimes you get a little upset after a bad game, but they’re out here fighting through so much more. So it’s just a privilege to be out there with them.”
From first-time skaters to those with more experience, there was plenty of fun to be had by all. Those who couldn’t skate on their own held hands to stay up, got help from plastic skate trainers, or flew down the ice as players pushed them in borrowed chairs. Slapshot joined in on the festivities partway through the skate, complete with a custom purple-and-white Hockey Fights Cancer outfit for the occasion.
“It’s a really special day,” noted Spencer Carbery. “I know a lot of the guys, well we all look forward to being able to have a day like today where [we can] do something for the community and such an incredible cause and for our players to be able to spend the day is nice.”
The Capitals will host their annual Hockey Fights Cancer Night against the Colorado Avalanche on November 21.
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