Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis is receiving one of hockey’s highest honors.
Tuesday, the NHL announced that Leonsis was named the recipient of the 2026 Lester Patrick Trophy for outstanding service to hockey in the United States. Leonsis, the founder, chairman, managing partner, and CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), has been the controlling owner of the Washington Capitals since 1999, making him one of the NHL’s longest-tenured owners. He was also unanimously elected chairman of the league’s Board of Governors on Sept. 22.
“Ted Leonsis epitomizes the essence of effective leadership: He turns inspired vision into groundbreaking results through flawless execution. Hockey in the United States, particularly in and around Washington, D.C., has been among the primary beneficiaries of that dynamic combination,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. “Ted’s stewardship of the Washington Capitals over the last 27 years has been transformative – for the franchise, for the downtown neighborhood reinvigorated by the Caps’ presence and investment, and for the thousands of young people who have come to our game and experienced enhanced educational opportunities because of Ted’s philanthropy. For all of that and so much more, Ted Leonsis is a truly worthy recipient of the Lester Patrick Trophy, among the most prestigious awards the National Hockey League presents.”
During Leonsis’ tenure, the Capitals have enjoyed the most successful stretch in franchise history. Washington won its first Stanley Cup in 2018 and has also captured three Presidents’ Trophies, finished atop the Eastern Conference five times, and won 13 division titles. Since the start of the 1999-00 season, the Capitals have recorded 1,085 regular-season wins and 2,435 points, both third-most in the NHL over that span.
The organization has also invested heavily in growing hockey around the Washington, D.C., area. More than 30,000 people have participated in Capitals youth hockey events since 2018, while the Future Caps Learn to Play program has introduced more than 12,000 children to the sport since launching in 2016. The team has also built or refurbished 14 outdoor street and inline hockey rinks (Please do Frederick, MD) and launched the Capitals Street Hockey League. Over the past two decades, USA Hockey registration has grown significantly across the region, including a 225-percent increase among girls and women in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia.
Leonsis’ work outside hockey has also centered heavily on education and entrepreneurship. He serves as chairman of the District of Columbia College Access Program, which helps D.C. students pursue post-secondary education, while the Leonsis family supports entrepreneurship programs at Georgetown University, including its annual Bark Tank competition and Leonsis Venture Lab. The 70-year-old Brooklyn native also owns the NBA’s Washington Wizards, the WNBA’s Washington Mystics, and the Capital City Go-Go of the NBA G League.
Leonsis has frequently described his connection to Washington as extending beyond his sports teams. “My roots in this area go far beyond where Monumental’s teams play their home games,” he wrote in 2024, pointing to a relationship with the region that dates back to his time as a Georgetown University student in the 1970s.
Leonsis will formally receive the Lester Patrick Trophy during the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Celebration on Nov. 30 in Washington, D.C. While Leonsis is being honored with the 60th annual presentation of the award, the same ceremony will feature the induction of Stan Wong, Amanda Kessel, Phil Kessel, TJ Oshie, and Ryan Suter into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame as its Class of 2026.
The trophy, first presented to the league by the New York Rangers in 1966, honors the memory of Lester Patrick, a member of one of hockey’s most storied families. Patrick spent 50 years in the sport as a Hall of Fame player, coach, and general manager and was a pioneer in hockey’s development.
Leonsis is the 145th recipient of the Lester Patrick Trophy. Dick Patrick, a longtime Capitals executive and minority owner, received the award in 2012. Other recipients of the Lester Patrick Trophy with past Capitals ties that either played, coached, scouted, or served as executives with the team include Milt Schmidt, Max McNab, Craig Patrick, David Poile, Phil Housley, Jack Blatherwick, Jack Barzee, and Warren Strelow.
Lester Patrick Trophy recipients
| Year | Recipient(s) |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Ted Leonsis |
| 2025 | Ray Shero |
| 2024 | Sam Rosen |
| 2023 | Joe Bertagna |
| 2022 | Warren Strelow |
| 2021 | Jack Barzee |
| 2020 | Lynn Olson |
| 2019 | Dr. Jack Blatherwick |
| 2018 | Jim Johannson |
| 2017 | Peter Lindberg, Dave Ogrean |
| 2016 | Mark Howe, Patrick J. Kelly |
| 2015 | Jeremy Jacobs, Bob Crocker |
| 2014 | Bill Daly, Paul Holmgren |
| 2013 | Kevin Allen |
| 2012 | Bob Chase-Wallenstein, Dick Patrick |
| 2011 | Mark Johnson, Jeff Sauer, Tony Rossi, Bob Pulford |
| 2010 | Dave Andrews, Cam Neely, Jack Parker, Jerry York |
| 2009 | Mark Messier, Mike Richter, Jim Devellano |
| 2008 | Ted Lindsay, Bob Naegele Jr., Brian Burke, Phil Housley |
| 2007 | Brian Leetch, Cammi Granato, Stan Fischler, John Halligan |
| 2006 | Red Berenson, Marcel Dionne, Reed Larson, Glen Sonmor, Steve Yzerman |
| 2005 | No award |
| 2004 | Mike “Doc” Emrick, John Davidson, Ray Miron |
| 2003 | Willie O’Ree, Ray Bourque, Ron DeGregorio |
| 2002 | Herb Brooks, Larry Pleau, 1960 U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team |
| 2001 | Gary Bettman, Scotty Bowman, David Poile |
| 2000 | Mario Lemieux, Craig Patrick, Lou Vairo |
| 1999 | Harry Sinden, 1998 U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team |
| 1998 | Peter Karmanos Jr., Neal Broten, John Mayasich, Max McNab |
| 1997 | Seymour H. Knox III, Bill Cleary, Pat LaFontaine |
| 1996 | George Gund III, Ken Morrow, Milt Schmidt |
| 1995 | Joe Mullen, Brian Mullen, Robert W. Fleming |
| 1994 | Wayne Gretzky, Robert Ridder |
| 1993 | Frank Boucher, Red Dutton, Bruce McNall, Gil Stein |
| 1992 | Al Arbour, Art Berglund, Lou Lamoriello |
| 1991 | Rod Gilbert, Mike Ilitch |
| 1990 | Len Ceglarski |
| 1989 | Dan Kelly, Lou Nanne, Lynn Patrick, Bud Poile |
| 1988 | Keith Allen, Fred Cusick, Bob Johnson |
| 1987 | Hobey Baker, Frank Mathers |
| 1986 | John MacInnes, John P. Riley Jr. |
| 1985 | Jack Butterfield, Arthur M. Wirtz |
| 1984 | John Ziegler Jr., Art Ross |
| 1983 | Bill Torrey |
| 1982 | Emile Francis |
| 1981 | Charles M. Schulz |
| 1980 | Bobby Clarke, Ed Snider, Fred Shero, 1980 U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team |
| 1979 | Bobby Orr |
| 1978 | Phil Esposito, Tom Fitzgerald, William Thayer Tutt, Bill Wirtz |
| 1977 | Johnny Bucyk, Murray Armstrong, John Mariucci |
| 1976 | Stan Mikita, Al Leader, Bruce Norris |
| 1975 | Donald M. Clark, Bill Chadwick, Tommy Ivan |
| 1974 | Alex Delvecchio, Murray Murdoch, Weston Adams, Charles L. Crovat |
| 1973 | Walter Bush |
| 1972 | Clarence Campbell, John A. “Snooks” Kelley, Ralph Weiland, James D. Norris |
| 1971 | William M. Jennings, John B. Sollenberger, Terry Sawchuk |
| 1970 | Eddie Shore, Jim Hendy |
| 1969 | Bobby Hull, Edward J. Jeremiah |
| 1968 | Tommy Lockhart, Walter A. Brown, John Kilpatrick |
| 1967 | Gordie Howe, Charles Adams, James E. Norris |
| 1966 | Jack Adams |
Note: The Lester Patrick Trophy was not awarded in 2005 due to the 2004-05 NHL lockout.
