Fort Dupont

Fort Dupont’s new two-rink facility in doubt after District unveils controversial construction plan

Fort Dupont is Washington DC’s only public indoor ice arena. The rink hosts the Fort Dupont Cannons – the country’s oldest minority hockey program – and USA Hockey Hall of Fame coach Neal Henderson. The venue entertains countless hockey games and free skates for residents every year.

Now, several years after Fort Dupont met important fundraising benchmarks, construction of a new two-rink facility to replace the current aging facility is seriously in doubt.

Fort Dupont explained the situation in an open letter on its website with the headline No New Rink: Surprising and devastating news from the District of Columbia in regards to FDIA’s planned rink expansion.

(more…)

By Ian Oland 2 years ago

0 Comment

Capitals’ Black History Night warmup jerseys feature gold patch honoring Fort Dupont Cannons

The Washington Capitals are going all out for their Black History Night on February 28 against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Capitals will wear special jerseys during warmups that feature a gold patch honoring the Fort Dupont Cannons – the country’s oldest minority hockey program.

(more…)

By Ian Oland 2 years ago

0 Comment

Capitals partner with Fort Dupont on new merch to raise money for Cannons and Capital Impact Fund

The Washington Capitals announced today that they are launching an online Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Club merchandise shop with proceeds benefiting Fort Dupont and the Capital Impact Fund.

Currently, there is a t-shirt, hoodie, beanie, and iron on patch available to purchase at WashCaps.com/FortDupontApparel.

(more…)

By Chris Cerullo 2 years ago

1 Comment

The Washington Capitals will hold a full-team practice at Fort Dupont Ice Arena during the 2020-21 season

The Athletic’s Tarik El-Bashir reports that the Washington Capitals will hold a full-team practice at Fort Dupont Ice Arena next season.

The practice is one part of an initiative the Capitals will undertake to show support to the black community and combat systemic racism in the wake of George Floyd’s murder due to police brutality. Fort Dupont is Washington DC’s only indoor hockey rink, and the Fort Dupont Cannons is the oldest minority hockey club in North America.

(more…)

By Ian Oland 3 years ago

3 Comments

Nick Jensen and Jonas Siegenthaler skate with Fort Dupont Cannons

For two Capitals players, Saturday afternoon’s practice at Medstar Capitals Iceplex was only the beginning of their day. After a high-energy practice focused on the team’s power-play and penalty-kill, Capitals defensemen Nick Jensen and Jonas Siegenthaler both put in extra time on the ice, albeit in a different rink: DC’s historic Fort Dupont Ice Arena.

Jensen and Sigenthaler practiced with the Fort Dupont Cannons. The Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Program was founded in 1978 by Neal Henderson, who was recently inducted into the US Hockey Hall of Fame for his community leadership and contributions to the growth of hockey in DC.

The 82-year-old Coach Henderson watched the practice from the bench, something that still brings him excitement even after over 40 years in coaching. “Every day, I look forward to seeing these kids play hockey,” Henderson said.

“They’re eager to learn and they were overjoyed at the fact that the Caps were here today,” Henderson said of the Cannons. “They enjoy meeting with [the Capitals players] and talking to them. It inspires them to do better, when they see the Caps come out because we talk about the Caps sometimes when we’re having our meetings. To let them know the Caps came up the same way that they’re doing.”

(more…)

By Elizabeth Kong 4 years ago

2 Comments

Ted Leonsis surprises Fort Dupont youth hockey players with Team USA scarves and mittens after $25k donation

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Monumental Sports & Entertainment owner Ted Leonsis attended the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony held at the Marriott Marquis on Thursday night.

Leonsis, who was joined by his wife Lynn and his son Zach, was there to accept the Wayne Gretzky International Award on behalf of Alex Ovechkin, who was traveling with the Washington Capitals on a road trip to Tampa Bay. While there, Leonsis showed off his extraordinary kindness with a massive donation to USA Hockey.

Leonsis’s donation netted Team USA scarves and mittens for every Fort Dupont youth hockey player in attendance supporting their coach Neal Henderson — one of the 2019 U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame honorees.

(more…)

By Ian Oland 4 years ago

1 Comment

Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Club co-founder Neal Henderson inducted to U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame

On Wednesday, the NHL announced the five people set to be inducted to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame on December 12th, 2019. Among them are NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, former NHL players and Stanley Cup winners Tim Thomas and Brian Gionta, two-time U.S. Olympian Krissy Wendell, and co-founder of the Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Club, Neal Henderson.

Over the last 40 years, Henderson has dedicated his life to growing the game of hockey in D.C. through his Fort Dupont program. Based out of Fort Dupont Ice Arena, the development program provides access to local and inner-city youth hockey players to an organized league, and has the distinction of being the oldest minority hockey club in North America. Henderson was also a finalist for the inaugural Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award in 2018, and provided the foundations for the NHL’s Hockey is for Everyone program.

(more…)

By Donya Abramo 4 years ago

3 Comments

Brooks Orpik and 100 Capitals fans team up to help spruce up Fort Dupont Ice Arena

Brooks Orpik’s contract with the Washington Capitals ends in July and his future with the organization is a virtual unknown. Will the unrestricted free agent re-sign, retire, or play next season elsewhere? Saturday morning, the defenseman showed he remained committed to the DC area despite all those lingering questions and put in some hard work to support a local rink.

Orpik and one hundred Capitals fans volunteered their time to help spruce up the historic Fort Dupont Ice Arena, the only public indoor ice arena located in Washington DC. This is the tenth consecutive year that the Capitals have organized this volunteer event at Fort Dupont.

“It’s been great, these volunteers come out consistently and we have both familiar faces and new faces and it’s really exciting to see a community that’s interested in helping other people get engaged in the sport,” said Brittany Greene, Community Outreach and Enrichment Coordinator for Friends of Fort Dupont.

The arena impacts the lives of over 3,000 kids in the area, many of them from under-served communities. Fort Dupont’s Kids on Ice program provides free and subsidized programs to teach children to skate.

(more…)

By Elizabeth Kong 4 years ago

0 Comment

DC Council to vote on proposal to fund Fort Dupont Ice Arena

After a back-and-forth over funding for a proposed expansion of the Fort Dupont Ice Arena in recent months, the DC Council is set to debate and vote on a proposal that would allocate more than $25 million to the project.

Councilmember Vincent Gray has proposed that the rink be fully funded in next year’s District budget, and the new two-rink ice arena can begin construction next year if the Council approves the proposal. Councilmembers are scheduled to review the proposal on Wednesday, with a vote scheduled for next Tuesday, May 14. Fort Dupont leaders are encouraging supporters to email DC councilmembers and encourage them to support the plan.

(more…)

By Nathan Burchfiel 4 years ago

0 Comment

New agreement between Mayor Bowser and Fort Dupont Ice Arena sets deadline for private funding goal

On Tuesday, Mayor Muriel Bowser and Friends of Fort Dupont Ice Arena signed an agreement which will secure the $21 million of public funding that was promised to Fort Dupont in 2014 to make repairs to their current rink and build a new two-rink facility.

The agreement comes with a compromise for both sides.

(more…)

By Elizabeth Kong 5 years ago

1 Comment

Page 1 of 2