Caps Care Year in Review: City Engagement

During the 2024-25 season, the Washington Capitals, its players, and Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation continued to give back to the community and grow participation in hockey throughout the region. Through fundraising and programming efforts, the Capitals and Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation supported numerous organizations in an array of missions. The organization's efforts resulted in more than 2.3 million raised for charity.

This week, WashCaps.com presents highlights across the following categories:

Caps Care Community Programs and Initiatives
Theme Nights and NHL Platforms
Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation
Youth Hockey Development and District of Play
Capitals Player Programs
City Engagement

Today, WashCaps.com recaps City Engagement:

Palmer Alley Takeover at CityCenterDC: The Washington Capitals took over CityCenterDC's popular Palmer Alley for a period in the fall to celebrate the 50^th anniversary season. Palmer Alley was transformed into a Caps-themed atmosphere featuring pucks, hockey sticks, a Weagle fixture, and more suspended throughout the retail alleyway. Fans were invited to a special unveiling on Sept. 6 featuring music, giveaways and autographs. Capitals player Martin Fehervary, alumni Karl Alzner and Peter Bondra and Capitals owner Ted Leonsis were in attendance. The takeover marked the first time a sports team has collaborated with CityCenterDC for a sports-related installation.

Hockey Holiday Lounge: In December, the Capitals announced a 50^th Anniversary Capitals Hockey Holidays Lounge at the DowntownDC BID’s Holiday Skate Spectacular in partnership with the National Building Museum presented by Events DC. The DowntownDC Holiday Skate Spectacular featured an indoor synthetic ice rink in the National Building Museum’s Great Hall and themed skating days, as well as specific times for young children. The Capitals hosted a Rock the Rink Skate at the National Building Museum in December. Fans were encouraged to visit the 50^th Anniversary Capitals Hockey Holidays Lounge throughout the DowntownDC Holiday Skate Spectacular. The lounge featured a festive custom backdrop with a giant red ribbon for photo opportunities, furniture styled in color schemes from different Capitals eras, and oversized present vignettes accented with hockey sticks and gift tags reflecting logos from across five decades of Capitals history.

Winter at the Wharf: The annual Capitals Winter at the Wharf took a 50^th spin, with four accompanied events at the Wharf’s ice rink. In celebration of the Capitals’ 50^th Anniversary, the Wharf Ice Rink at Transit Pier featured the Capitals, with ALL CAPS rink panels, Capitals-themed ice resurfacer, and Capitals decor and branding at the nearby Caps Cantina. The Capitals presence continued throughout the surrounding area including a takeover of the Wharf’s District Square hub and popular Camp Wharf S’mores trailer and fire pit. The Capitals hosted two Rock the Rink away game watch parties, a player family skate and a skating event exclusive to Caps Kids Club members,

Washington Harbour Ice Rink: In February, the Capitals and Washington Harbour unveiled a special permanent plaque in commemoration of the 2018 Stanley Cup championship celebration at the Washington Harbour fountain in Washington, D.C.’s Georgetown. Capitals players Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie, who visited the fountain in 2018 during their Stanley Cup celebration, made a special appearance and participated in the unveiling ceremony with more than 200 fans. The event featured a DJ, an appearance by Slapshot, a 50^th anniversary ice sculpture display, giveaways, prizes and additional activities. This season, the rink featured Capitals branding for the first time. The Capitals would later return to the fountain in June to support T.J. Oshie’s retirement announcement amongst the community and fans.

Union Market: The Capitals and Union Market District announced in April the Capitals SkyRink at Hi-Lawn, a synthetic ice rink located on the rooftop at Union Market. A portion of sales proceeds from the purchase of tickets benefited THE GR8 CHASE for Victory Over Cancer®.

At 72 ft x 32 ft, the 2,300 square foot Capitals SkyRink at Hi-Lawn was the largest outdoor rooftop synthetic rink in the nation. The rink’s vast size allowed for general skating while also encouraging hockey play with hockey sticks, pucks and goals available to skaters.

In addition, as part of Monumental Sports & Entertainment’s District of Play initiative, the Capitals coordinated Rink Pass field trips with DC Public Schools students to play hockey at the rink.

The rink was provided by USA Synthetic Rinks, the premier synthetic ice rink builder on the east coast. USA Synthetic Rinks specializes in rooftop, beach sand, pool deck and grass field synthetic ice rinks.

Union Market District is also the site of an Ovechkin mural in honor of The Gr8 Chase. Designed by David Barr, The “GR8NESS” mural, located on the historic Market building, features a collage-like design that captures Ovechkin’s qualities and celebrates his most iconic moments on the ice throughout his Capitals career. Barr’s paintings are built through layers – of media, imagery, and text – drawn from different eras. By blending these timeworn fragments of culture, he creates collage-like compositions that reimagine the familiar in unexpected ways.

Union Market District also featured an Official Goal Counter inside the main entrance of The Market, allowing the community to count down The GR8 Chase together. Fans were encouraged to take photos with the counter and share them on social media to celebrate The GR8 Chase.

In addition, in honor of Ovechkin becoming the NHL’s all-time goals leader, the letter ‘O’ in the Union Market sign at Union Market District was transformed into a Gr8ness ‘O’ featuring Alex Ovechkin.

The Capitals also teamed up with Union Market to host a playoff pep rally in April, featuring poster making, photo opportunities, a DJ, giveaways including free prints of the GR8NESS mural by David Barr, an appearance by mascot Slapshot and more.

"G.O.A.T." - Gr8est of All Time Mural: A mural dedicated to Ovechkin entitled, "G.O.A.T." - Gr8est of All Time by Brandon Hill, was unveiled in the Adams Morgan neighborhood in Washington, D.C., in March. The mural is painted on the wall of Jubilee Housing’s primary headquarters building. Jubilee provides deeply affordable housing, with onsite and nearby services in resource-rich neighborhoods, also known as Justice Housing^®. In support of Jubilee Housing’s youth service, Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation made a $10,000 donation in support of their summer and after-school programs.

Hill’s "G.O.A.T." embodies the athletic ethos: spirit, courage, optimism, promise, opportunity, grit and hard work. The piece also conveys how the "Gr8 Chase" represents a milestone that is built on the foundation of tens of thousands of practice shots and unwavering dedication, both on and off the ice. The artwork’s energy and direction capture the intensity of the occasion, infused with hometown pride. The color palette draws inspiration from the team’s past, present and future. The project celebrates the strong bond between the Capitals, D.C. sports, and the community, reflecting the shared spirit and pride that unites the fanbase.

GR895 City Celebration: As Alex Ovechkin closed in on the all-time goal-scoring record, fans across the region rallied behind The Gr8 Chase. The excitement spread citywide from neighborhood yard signs to official Gr8 Chase goal counters popping up at iconic landmarks like Ben’s Chili Bowl and the Smithsonian’s Museum of Natural History. The momentum built throughout the season and culminated in the GR895 City Celebration at Capital One Arena, where hundreds of fans gathered to honor Ovechkin’s historic achievement. Ovechkin attended the event, along with Nicklas Backstrom, T.J. Oshie, and Capitals owner Ted Leonsis. The event featured Q&A session with hosts Tarik El-Bashir and Craig Laughlin from Monumental Sports Network along with remarks from Ovechkin, Backstrom, Oshie and Leonsis. Additionally, fans were able to enjoy photo opportunities, alumni appearances, giveaways, permanent tattoos, and even a goat petting zoo to celebrate the historic moment.

Bethesda Row Mural: In March, the Caps unveiled a special mural at Bethesda Row in Bethesda, Md. The mural was created by local artist Hiba Alyawer and paid tribute to the Capitals 50^th Anniversary. It also included a nod to Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin.

The mural unveiling was part of a Special Spring Shop for the Cause with Caps Care Pop Up Event Featuring Capitals Alumnus and Monumental Sports Network analyst Alan May, Monumental Sports Network Capitals Host Alexa Landestoy and Capitals mascot Slapshot on March 19. During the pop up, select Bethesda Row stores donated 10% of their sales proceeds to the Washington Capitals’ Capital Impact Fund in support of the organization’s mission to help grow access to the game by limiting financial barriers.