Our History Our Commitment Resources The Color of Hockey Organizations

The Washington Capitals engage with existing programs and offer additional opportunities to provide people of all backgrounds opportunities to play hockey year-round. The Capitals know that Black lives matter - which is why the organization is committed to fostering diversity in hockey through both on-and off-ice events and initiatives.

In August 2020, the Capitals announced the organization is launching a series of public and internal initiatives that focus on diversity in hockey, racial equality and the recognition of achievements by Black individuals. The Capitals immediate efforts focus on three pillars: youth hockey, education and awareness.

In January 2021, the Capitals followed up on prior commitments with the announcement of our Black Hockey Committee, comprised of community and organization leaders that will meet on a consistent basis to address ways to eradicate racism and discuss growing the game in underserved communities.

Celebrating Black History 2026

Throughout the month, the Capitals will recognize the organization's history, celebrate Black achievement in hockey and highlight how the Capitals are working to further grow the game in the region.

VIDEOS

Capitals Top 50 Moments | Joel Ward Game 7 OT Winner

Capitals Top 50 Moments | Mike Marson and Bill Riley

Behind the Making of Celebrating Black History Jerseys

Black History Month Roundtable

The Making of "Caps 11"

2024 Rising Stars BHM Clinic

Ethan Bear | Rising Stars Academy

Freeman Interview | Black History Warmup Jersey 2024

Rising Stars Academy 2023

Black Lives Matter

NHL Black History Truck Visits DC

Black Hockey in History Puck Drop

Capitals honor O'Ree, Lewis

Black Hockey History | Marson

Black Girls Hockey Club in D.C.

Our History

Starting with the very first season of the Capitals inception, Black players have played an instrumental role in building the on and off-ice legacy of our club. Since drafting an 18-year-old Mike Marson in the 1974 draft, the Capitals have had 11 Black players in franchise history, including 2 Stanley Cup Champions.

Player Bios

Black Hockey History Display

On Feb. 2, 2022 vs. the Edmonton Oilers, the Capitals unveiled a permanent Black Hockey History Display at Capital One Arena devoted to the history and legacy of their black players. The display is located at section 112 on the main concourse and features:

  • Memorabilia including a 1975-76 home jersey worn by Mike Marson (1974-79), a game-used stick by Joel Ward (2011-15) and a game-worn helmet by Devante Smith-Pelly (2017-19).
  • A warmup jersey featuring a Players Against Hate end racism shoulder patch. Capitals players wore and auctioned off the jerseys during the Feb. 25, 2021 Black History Night.
  • A timeline featuring Black players and key moments in Capitals history.
  • An interactive QR code that drives visitors to washcaps.com/blackhockey, featuring additional information to learn about the Capitals commitment to diversity, honoring Black players in history, community partners, resources and more.

United By Hockey Mobile Museum

The Capitals have contributed to and hosted the NHL's  "United By Hockey" Mobile Museum for several consecutive seasons. The mobile museum showcases today's black athletes while also looking back at the pioneers and trailblazers who helped shape NHL history.

Celebrating Black Hockey

The Capitals annually host a Black History in Hockey Night, honoring contributions of Black players to the game.

In February 2020, Capitals alumni Joel Ward participated in a ceremonial puck drop. During the 2018-19 season, Civil rights leader and U.S. Representative John Lewis and NHL legend Willie O'Ree participated in a ceremonial puck drop. Past Black History Night ceremonial puck drops have featured Fort Dupont Cannons coach Neal Henderson as well as the entire Fort Dupont coaching staff.

NMAAHC Exhibit

The Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) has installed a new exhibition case dedicated to hockey. On view in the "Sports: Leveling the Playing Field" gallery, the exhibition explores hockey's early history and Black athletes' contributions, including a hockey stick used by Capital alumnus Joel Ward,a patch from the Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Club and a new statue honoring the first Black player in the NHL, Willie O'Ree.

Our Commitment

In 2016, the Capitals launched a partnership with DC Public Schools that introduced more than 48,000 students across 111 schools through a multi-week street-hockey curriculum. The Caps provided each elementary, middle, and high school P.E. teacher in the city with hockey skills training from the Washington Capitals community relations and youth hockey staff, as well as equipment.

The Capitals expanded this programming into Baltimore during the 2018-19 season, introducing hockey to more than 75,000 students across more than 150 Baltimore City Public Schools. The same programming also launched in Montgomery Public Schools. The Capitals introduced more than 110,000 students from across the county's 180 elementary and middle schools to hockey during the 2019-20 school year.

The Capitals also provided 42 Baltimore City Recreation & Parks recreation centers with a full set of street hockey equipment. For 11 consecutive seasons, the Capitals have also hosted an annual Baltimore Street Hockey Tournament to further engage Baltimore residents with the sport.

In January 2024, the Capitals Hockey School program surpassed 1 million total students with its partnership with Prince George's County Public Schools.

A Capitals Hockey School Milestone Event

The Capitals Hockey School program celebrated a milestone partnership with Prince George’s County Public Schools at Capitol Heights Elementary.

Capitals Hockey School Program: A Golden Generation

Capitals Hockey School Program Launches in Prince George’s County; Surpasses 1 Million Participants

In 2020 the Capitals organization and Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE) Foundation created the Capital Impact Fund to provide grants to organizations that assist in eliminating cost barriers faced by individuals of color in the hockey community. In addition, the Capital Impact Fund has also provided funding for the Capitals Rising Stars Academy since 2023 to enable individuals to participate at no cost. Through its distribution of grants and support of the Rising Stars Academy, the Capital Impact Fund aims to assist minority youth players in reaching their greatest potential and to create more equal playing fields for all. The Capital Impact Fund grants are designed to provide financial support to local nonprofit organizations dedicated to further advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in hockey. The objective of each grant is to provide access to the sport in all forms and concentrates on, but is not be limited to: equipment, ice time, school programs, program fees and access to the game. The Capitals Rising Stars Academyprovides elite skill development and mentorship for local hockey players of color and their families. The programemphasizes physical and mental strength and includes social discussions around the culture of hockey. Since its inception, the Capitals and MSE Foundation have raised nearly $440,000 for the Capital Impact Fund.

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Rink Refurbishment

In 2015, in conjunction with the Winter Classic, the Capitals, NHL, Washington D.C. Parks and Recreation and Washington D.C. Public Schools, completed a $115,000 restoration project at Watkins Rush Rink in southeast DC to encourage the growth of hockey throughout the community. The project spearheaded the Capitals programming that provided street hockey equipment to all D.C. Public Schools.

Resources and Media

HDAtv

Working in conjunction with the HDA Academic Panel and our friends at Sportsnet, the HDA has developed three video modules that cover a wide range of topics including the history of BIPOC hockey players, racism towards Asian, Indigenous and Black players, other forms of discrimination (religion, gender, and sexual orientation) and more. 

Videos are grouped together based on three themes: Module 1 - History, Module 2 - Unconscious Bias, and Module 3 - Reenactments.

Soul on Ice: Past Present & Future

Executive Produced by LeBron James and Aubrey "Drake" Graham, Black Ice is a 2022 Canadian documentary film, directed by Hubert Davis and produced by Vinay Virmani. Based in part on Darril Fosty and George Fosty's 2004 non-fiction book Black Ice: The Lost History of the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes, 1895-1925, the film presents a history of the Coloured Hockey League of the Maritimes of the early 20th century, and the lingering history of anti-black racism in the sport of ice hockey.

Willie

"Willie" provides historical context and depth to Willie O'Ree's incredible journey as the first black player to skate in a National Hockey League game. The film is a testament to the resilience and determination of a man empowered by his family's legacy, and the people he has inspired along the way.

MSE partners Ted Leonsis, Sheila Johnson, and Earl Stafford served as executive producers of the film and was produced by a team comprised completely of minority and women filmmakers that have crafted a poignant, powerful story.

Brothers On Ice

Brothers on Ice is an immersive feature documentary following the day-to-day lives of Coach Neal Henderson and his team of young African American hockey players in the longest serving minority hockey program in North America, the Fort Dupont Hockey Cannons in Washington DC. Over the course of one pivotal hockey season, two teenage boys and one legendary coach navigate the trials and tribulations of inner city living while striving to pursue their dreams on and off the ice. In a year of immense change in America and racial tensions, Brothers on Ice is a story about hope; the power of sport; and the pursuit of the American Dream.

Soul On Ice: Past, Present, and Future

Soul On Ice: Past, Present, & Future is a 2016 American documentary film directed, produced, and written by Damon Kwame Mason.The film tells the story of the Colored Hockey League and the history of Black players in ice hockey in the United States and Canada.

At the heart of the film is Jaden Lindo, a young man pursuing his lifelong dream to play in the NHL, accompanied by interviews with P.K. Subban, Wayne Simmonds, Anson Carter, Joel Ward, Trevor Daley, Tony McKegney, five-time Stanley Cup winner Grant Fuhr, and more.

Black Girl Hockey Club: Get Uncomfortable

Get Uncomfortable Campaign is a campaign to disrupt racism on and off the ice and make hockey welcoming for EVERYONE! Since 2020, over 8,000 hockey-loving people have signed the BGHC Get Uncomfortable Campaign. We are excited to mobilize this group of people to champion equality, equity, and anti-racism in hockey.

THE COLOR OF HOCKEY

William Douglas: The Color of Hockey

Launched in 2012 after seeing the hate aimed toward Joel Ward on social media after his playoff OT goal in Boston, The Color of Hockey is a passion project and blog started by William Douglas. An outlet to educated fans and to share often overlooked stories of minorities in hockey, The Color of Hockey has expanded its reach as a featured column on NHL.com alongside the original blog.

Aliance pro diverzitu se soustředí na mládí

Skupina bývalých i současných hráčů NHL se snaží učinit hokej dostupnější pro hráče barevné pleti

Organizations We Support

Black Girl Hockey Club

Founded in 2018, the Black Girl Hockey Club is a non-profit organization that focuses on making more inclusive for Black women, family, friends and allies.

The mission of Black Girl Hockey Club is to inspire and sustain passion for the game of hockey within the Black community, specifically with mothers, sisters, daughters and friends.

Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Club

The Capitals have a longstanding relationship with the Fort Dupont Ice Hockey club, Washington, D.C.'s only indoor ice arena and home to the Cannons, the United States' oldest minority hockey program. The Capitals annually host the Cannons at MedStar Capitals Iceplex or visit Fort Dupont Ice Arena, participating in practice with the Cannons.

Hockey Diversity Alliance

Seven current and former NHL players, include Capitals alumni Joel Ward, announced in June 2020 the formation of the Hockey Diversity Alliance.

The HDA is committed to inspire a new and diverse generation of hockey players and fans, with a mission to eradicate racism and intolerance in hockey.

Players Against Hate

In 2019, the Capitals hosted the Metro Maple Leafs, a Maryland-based youth hockey team, at a Capitals game after a player on the team faced racial taunts during his youth hockey game. Postgame the Metro Maple Leafs spent time with Capitals players in the Capitals locker room. Following the incident, the organizatin Players Against Hate was formed. Players Against Hate is determined to increase awareness and stop racism and name-calling by youth athletes, their teams and coaches, their families, and spectators.