The Washington Capitals drew a huge and passionate crowd to Capital One Arena on Saturday night as they honored “The Dot Com Caps.”
The Capitals game against the Winnipeg Jets marked the team’s third Era Night of their 50th anniversary season. The Capitals celebrated a pivotal time (1997-2005) of the franchise punctuated by Ted Leonsis purchasing the team and the Capitals making their first Stanley Cup Final appearance in 1998.
Capitals greats Peter Bondra and Olie Kolzig were involved in festivities all throughout the day while they were joined at the arena by fellow Dot Com alumni Mark Tinordi, Sylvain Cote, Calle Johansson, and Joe Juneau — the scorer of Caps’ Eastern Conference championship-clinching goal in 1998.
This how the team celebrated.
Peter Bondra/Olie Kolzig bobblehead giveaway
All fans in attendance at the game were given a Peter Bondra & Olie Kolzig Duo Bobblehead as they entered the arena. The popular bobblehead featured lifelike representations of the two stars on a shared ice base. Bobble Bonzai wears one of the team’s powder blue Screaming Eagle jerseys while Olie the Bobble is outfitted in white. The level of detail in the gear and uniforms is tremendous, though I’m suspiciously side-eyeing Kolzig’s missing goatee.
The bobblehead’s box also spared no details as it had full biographies of both players and a specially colored Capitals’ 50th anniversary logo on the top.
Pregame Ceremony
The Capitals held a special pregame ceremony before puck drop where they played a video on the jumbotron celebrating the era. Then they invited all six returning players to participate in a ceremonial faceoff with Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin and Jets alternate captain Mark Scheifele.
Life-size bobbleheads added to concourse
The Capitals revealed two life-size bobbleheads of Peter Bondra and Olie Kolzig and grouped them with previously revealed lorge bobbles of Mike Gartner and Rod Langway. The team placed the bobbleheads near section 105 where fans could take photos.
Even the two stars of the Dot Com Caps got in on the action with family.
Have you stopped outside Section 105 to see the life-sized @PeterBondra12 and @OlafKolzig bobbleheads?
They're Bonzai and Godzilla approved!#ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/9jVORehzTP
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) February 2, 2025
New Screaming Eagle merch
The Capitals released several new pieces of Screaming Eagle merch, highlighted by a special Alex Ovechkin poster and Screagle varsity jackets designed by Jeanius Jackets. Only 50 of the special jackets were made and they were sold for $600 each at the Capital One Arena team store.
The team also released three 50th anniversary shirts of Bondra, Kolzig, and Adam Oates created by 500 Level.
Kolzig and Bondra get involved in game entertainment staples
Olie Kolzig returned for another Mite of the Nite interview and was humbled once again. The game featured mites in goalie gear trying to score goals. One team wore all Kolzig jerseys while the other wore ones of Brent Johnson.
“Tell me, and I probably don’t have to ask you, because it’s written all over your back, who’s your favorite goalie?” Kolzig asked Logan.
“Well, I like a lot of players but my favorite is not you. It’s Tom Wilson,” he replied in a priceless moment.
Bondra also competed in the team’s Top Shot competition and completed the challenge in an incredible 15 seconds.
Chalk talk and ice sculptures
Inside the arena, Capitals radio announcer John Walton hosted a pregame chalk talk between the six Dot Com Caps and season-ticket holders in the lower bowl.
Outside at the Gallery Place Alleyway, ice sculptures were created honoring the players and the team’s 50th anniversary.
According to a Capitals press release:
The Capitals have teamed up with Ice Labs for a series of Ice Sculptures celebrating “The Dot Com Caps” era. Beginning at 3 p.m., fans are invited to visit A Legacy In ALL CAPS: Etched in Ice at the Gallery Place Alleyway. Fans are encouraged to take photos with several ice sculptures. From 4:20-4:40, Bondra and Kolzig will take photos with fans at the sculptures.
SAY FREEZE! 🥶
The Gallery Place Alleyway is the photo opp place to be pregame tonight for some truly unique #ALLCAPS 50th art, including an interactive ice graffiti wall for fans. pic.twitter.com/ufdCHsIyCF
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) February 1, 2025
At morning skate, Olie Kolzig reunited with historic stick
Kolzig, Bondra, and Tinordi were at the Capitals’ morning skate at MedStar Capitals Iceplex, each having fun in their own different ways. Olie The Goalie was reunited with the stick he used during the team’s playoff series-clinching win in 1998 against the Ottawa Senators. Kolzig routinely gave out his Heaton twigs to fans after games.
Kolzig signed the stick and took a photo with it. The Capitals plan to return the stick to its original owner, Alyce.
Alex Ovechkin gives Bondra’s grandson a hockey stick
Ovechkin had a special gift for Peter Bondra’s grandson at MCI: one of his priceless sticks.
“The grandson of the second leading goal-scorer in franchise history receiving a signed stick from the franchise’s leading goal-scorer 🥹,” the Capitals wrote on X.
The grandson of the second leading goal-scorer in franchise history receiving a signed stick from the franchise's leading goal-scorer 🥹 pic.twitter.com/cZRgtHAktv
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) February 1, 2025
“What a special moment,” Bondra replied.
Naturally, Ovechkin scored later in the night: his 877th career goal.
While the Capitals weren’t able to defeat the first-place Jets, falling 5-4 in overtime, the game was a thrilling exhibition of hockey in what was generally considered one of the most entertaining home tilts of the year. The team also wore its popular black Screaming Eagle jerseys and embraced its vintage branding on the jumbotron.
The Capitals have two more era nights upcoming. On March 7 against the Detroit Red Wings, they’ll celebrate “The Rock the Red Era” Caps from 2005-2014 and on April 4 against the Chicago Blackhawks, they’ll honor the “ALL CAPS and the Stanley Cup Era” from 2014 to the present day. At the Red Wings game, the Capitals will give out Alex Ovechkin & Nicklas Backstrom Duo Bobbleheads, while fans who attend the Blackhawks game will receive a 50th Anniversary photo book.
