On Monday morning the Capitals announced continuing activities to celebrate Hockey is for Everyone month. Earlier this month, the Caps kicked off the festivities by inviting UAE women’s hockey player Fatima Al Ali to DC for a week, where she skated with the team after practice, dropped the ceremonial face-off puck before the February 9 game against the Red Wings, and took the greatest selfie ever after said puck drop.
On Monday we learned February 24 will be Hockey is for Everyone Night at Verizon Center, and the Capitals will be hosting a series of initiatives to benefit You Can Play, an organization dedicated to equality in sports, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation. During practice on February 23, select Capitals players will use Pride Tape on their sticks, and during the game on the 24th, goalie Braden Holtby will don a brand-new Hockey is for Everyone-themed mask. Both the sticks and the mask will be auctioned off, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to You Can Play. The team will also be hosting activities involving the American Special Hockey Association and the Chesapeake Wild women’s hockey team.
At the start of the month, Holtby was named the Capitals YCP Ambassador. Other teams throughout the league have also been hosting Hockey is For Everyone/You Can Play/Pride Nights, including Buffalo, where former Capital Joel Ward was seen sporting Pride Tape on his stick. The Caps, along with all 29 other teams, are also selling Pride t-shirts in the NHL.com shop for Hockey is for Everyone Month.
More from the Caps:
In conjunction with the National Hockey League’s Hockey is for Everyone Month, the Washington Capitals announced today initiatives in support of the You Can Play Project, an organization dedicated to ensuring equality, respect and safety for all athletes, coaches and fans, without regard to sexual orientation and/or gender identity.
Select Capitals players will use rainbow-colored ‘Pride Tape’ in celebration of the LGBTQ community during practice on Thursday, Feb. 23, while Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby will wear an equality-themed mask during the Capitals Hockey is for Everyone Night game on Friday, Feb. 24 versus the Edmonton Oilers. Holtby serves as the Capitals You Can Play ambassador, serving as a leader in the locker room and in the community on diversity, equality, and inclusion.
The sticks and mask will be autographed by the participating player and auctioned off, with 100% of proceeds benefitting You Can Play.
The auction is currently open on Handbid at https://hand.bid/CapsHIFE and will conclude at the end of the second intermission of the Capitals’ Feb. 24 game at Verizon Center. During the game, the auction will take place at the Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation table on the main concourse at section 104.
Fans interested in bidding will need to download the Handbid app on their iPhone and Android devices and should ensure their phones or tablets are well charged for the game. Fans without smart phones may bid on iPads supplied by the Capitals while the auction is open. Fans not attending the game may bid using the Handbid app or online.
The Capitals’ Feb. 24 Hockey is for Everyone Night game also includes a ceremonial puck drop with American Special Hockey Association Washington Ice Dogs player Sam Smith of Rockville, Md. Various local youth hockey programs will join in the festivities throughout the game. Montgomery Youth Hockey Association players will scrimmage at Verizon Center at 3 p.m. During the Capitals game, the Chesapeake Wild female hockey team will serve as the flag tunnel. The Wells Warriors hockey club will participate as mites on ice, while players from the American Special Hockey Association will participate in second intermission activities.
For the 19th year, the NHL has designated February Hockey is for Everyone™ Month to celebrate grassroots hockey and the game’s growing diversity. The program offers children of all backgrounds opportunities to play hockey and leverages the sport of hockey as a catalyst to teach essential life skills and the core values of hockey: commitment, perseverance and teamwork. In addition, the initiative supports hockey programs that assist disabled military personnel in returning to their mainstream lifestyles.
Throughout February, visit the Capitals microsite at WashingtonCaps.com/HIFE for the latest information on Hockey is for Everyone™ Month, including news, video recaps and additional content.
