Capitals and Their Mentors Take On NYC

The Capitals travel to New York this weekend, accompanied by one of their original and most loyal fans.
The 11th consecutive Mentors Trip began Saturday at Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers, where the Capitals won 5-3, before a quick ride to the Barclays Center to face the New York Islanders on Monday.

Throughout the weekend, mentors - of players, coaches and traveling staff - will be present at practice, in meeting rooms and at the game. The trip is a way to honor those who dedicated so much of their time to their Capital's passion growing up, shuttling future NHL players to every practice and tournament. This is a way to return the favor.

"It's always good to have them there," said Chandler Stephenson, who went on his first Mentors Trip with his dad, Curtis, last year. "I think he talked about it for a full year until the lead-up to this one. They have a lot of fun being with one another and watching their kids play hockey. They get to see what (our) day-to-day lifestyle is here."
The Capitals and their mentor's took part in another tradition in New York with their third annual darts tournament. The Stephenson's won a thrilling best of three matchup against Nicklas Backstrom and his dad, Anders, to take home the championship.
Since 2008 the Capitals have flown their mentor's to different regions of the NHL map. The tradition started in Florida, with games against the Panthers and Lightning in 2008, and most recently visited the Midwest, where the Caps played in Minnesota and Chicago.
There's reason to believe the Mentors Trip adds a little bit of a boost to the team. The Capitals boast a 14-6-0 record overall when they are joined by their mentors.

"It is a good way to bring the team together and meet new parents," said Madison Bowey, 22, who also participated in his first father-son NHL trip last year and has his father, William, is on the trip again this year. "I think it's a full bonding trip for sure."
"They have that special bond, every one of them do," Bowey said of all the mentors. "That's the coolest thing to see. We're a really close group in here, so it's neat to see the dad's get close, especially being from all different countries. It's a cool and special experience."

For veterans of the Mentors Trip, they know what to expect. But even for Stephenson and Bowey, two young players not far from the junior ranks, they said they're also beyond the point of trying to impress their earliest mentor - "He's watched me enough," Stephenson said. "I think that he knows my type of play," - and said their goal is just to show their dad's a great time and a couple of wins.
"My whole life my dad's been my number one supporter, my number one hero," Bowey said. Just to have him on the trip, for him to see the life we live and the success I've had because of him, it's special for both of us … I think we want to get two wins and give them the best experience possible."