On Sunday morning, the Washington Capitals and the Reston Town Center skating pavilion hosted the Mites on Ice Outdoor Classic. Some of Northern Virginia’s cutest youth hockey players from ages 4 to 7 donned Caps jerseys and played puck with some pros. There was a tournament of half-ice games, a full-ice championship game, and– from what we hear– some adorable goal celebrations.

As a bonus, the Caps also sent out alumni Alan May and Peter Bondra to give a skills demonstration, skate with fans, and sign autographs after the tournament.

I was sick with the flu and unwilling to spend the morning in the cold rain, so RMNB buds Nour H. and Lindsey N. pinched in to capture the event for me via photos. Thanks, ladies.

Alan May spaces out for a second, worrying about how much better Joe B’s ties are than his.

Bonzai signs a jersey while we desperately try not to caption the guy at right.

Bondra got along well with all of the kids except the one with an Adam Oates-style stick.

Immediately following this play, Chris Simon ended the season of that player in white.

Lindsey and Nour with the very classy Bondra butt shot.

Wow, that’s a really pretty place to play hockey.

Slashing clinic, apparently.

May and Bondra ponder orders at Panera. May got the Frontega, Bondra the chicken noodle soup in a sourdough bread bowl.

Goalie kid is way out the crease. Bondra and May are going to make him pay for that one.

NO COMMENT.

Alan May chats with Guerin Austin about his Frontega chicken sandwich and what the eighties were like.