Ted Leonsis has never been afraid to make fearless predictions and Thursday he made another big one. Leonsis thinks Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom will remain in Washington DC for the rest of their playing careers.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Thursday night, the US Hockey Hall of Fame enshrined its five newest honorees in a ceremony held in downtown Washington DC. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, former NHL players Brian Gionta and Tim Thomas, Olympian Krissy Wendell, and community leader Neal Henderson were recognized as the US HHOF’s Class of 2019.
The night celebrated the achievements and storied journeys of the honorees, but also shone a spotlight on the growth of hockey in DC, whether it be from the efforts of Alex Ovechkin of the Capitals or legendary coach Henderson, co-founder of the Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Club.
By Elizabeth Kong 2 days ago
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.
Lars Eller scored the biggest goal in Washington Capitals history. On June 7, 2018, Eller sniffed out a Brett Connolly rebound sitting behind Marc-Andre Fleury’s backside and shot the puck into the back of the net. The goal gave the Capitals a 4-3 lead with 7:37 remaining in Game Five of the Stanley Cup Final. The Capitals would go on to win a championship for the very first time.
That valuable puck, however, did not travel home either with NHL officials or the Capitals.
Everyone knows by now, unless you’ve been living under a rock, the Washington Nationals have officially made it to the World Series. They will play for the title against the winner of the ALCS between Houston Astros and New York Yankees.
Early Wednesday morning, many Capitals players, including TJ Oshie, Tom Wilson, and John Carlson, tweeted out congratulations to their favorite local baseball team on Twitter.
By Elyse Bailey 2 months ago
Brooks Oprik announced his retirement through a Capitals release on Tuesday morning.
During his time in Washington, the hulking defenseman left an indelible impact on his teammates. From his big goals to his big hits, Capitals players looked up to Orpik as a leader, role model, and friend. On social media and in statements released through the team, the Capitals showered Orpik with praise and thanked him for his time in Washington.
“Batya was a great leader in our locker room and was so important for us to win our first Stanley Cup,” Alex Ovechkin said.
“He is a terrific person and a friend,” TJ Oshie said.
“Thanks for always looking after me on and off the ice,” Andre Burakovsky said. “You have been a true friend and role model for me.”
Hockey players can sometimes be inarticulate. This is not one of those times.
By Ian Oland 6 months ago
Monumental Sports and Entertainment founder Ted Leonsis was at Nationals Park on Sunday. Leonsis was there to accept the DC Hall of Fame nod on behalf of Washington Capitals’ 2018 Stanley Cup-winning team.
Before the start of the Braves-Nationals game, the Capitals championship team, as well as 10 other individuals, were officially inducted into the DC Sports Hall of Fame.
The 2019 NHL entry draft is Friday night in Vancouver. Before we look ahead to the Capitals’ 25th overall pick and the future of the franchise, let’s look back the 2004 draft and their first-overall pick: Alex Ovechkin.
We’ve covered this draft before, but here are some new (old) pieces of information that deserve another look. The year was 2004, the TV footage was grainy, and Raleigh, NC was about to echo with the sounds of “Let’s go Caps.”
By Brennin Weiswerda 6 months ago
Former Capitals head coach Barry Trotz was in attendance at the Washington Mystics’ home opener on Saturday night. The Mystics played their first career regular season game in their new home, Entertainment and Sports Arena, a 118,000-square-foot multi-purpose events facility located on the St. Elizabeths East Campus in Congress Heights.
According to RMNB reader @Alagarts, Trotz and his family, including son Nolan, sat directly behind the Mystics bench. Trotz is a close friend of Mystics’ coach and general manager Mike Thibault.
The Washington Capitals met with Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Monday, where Trump congratulated the team on the 2017-18 Stanley Cup championship win and wished them good luck in the 2018-19 playoffs.
Team owner Ted Leonsis and team captain Alex Ovechkin also said a few words thanking Trump and the the White House for their hospitality. Trump highlighted the play of defenseman John Carlson and nudged Carlson into making a speech as well.
Here is the full text of their comments.
By Elizabeth Kong 9 months ago
