Ted Leonsis will receive the 2026 Lester Patrick Trophy for outstanding service to hockey in the United States, the NHL announced Tuesday.
Leonsis, the controlling owner of the Washington Capitals since 1999 and founder, chairman, managing partner and CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, will be honored as part of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame induction celebration in Washington on Nov. 30.
The U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2026 includes three-time Stanley Cup winner and NHL consecutive games played record holder, Phil Kessel; sister Amanda Kessel, an Olympic gold medalist and four-time IIHF Women's World Championship gold medalist; T.J. Oshie, a 2018 Stanley Cup champion with the Capitals and the shootout star of the 2014 Sochi Olympics; Ryan Suter, whose 1,526 regular-season games are second-most in NHL history by a United States-born defenseman; and longtime USA Hockey athletic trainer Stan Wong.
One of the NHL’s longest-tenured owners, Leonsis was unanimously elected as chairman of the League’s Board of Governors on Sept. 22. Under Leonis, the Capitals won the Stanley Cup for the first time in 2018, the Presidents’ Trophy as the NHL’s top team during the regular season three times (2009-10, 2015-16, 2016-17), finished first in the Eastern Conference five times (2009-10, 2020-11, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2024-25) and won 13 division titles.
Since the start of the 1999-2000 season, the Capitals have won 1,085 regular-season games and amassed 2,435 points, both third-most in the NHL during that span.
“Ted Leonsis epitomizes the essence of effective leadership,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “He turns inspired vision into groundbreaking results through flawless execution. Hockey in the United States, particularly in and around Washington, D.C., has been among the primary beneficiaries of that dynamic combination.”
A 70-year-old native of Brooklyn, New York, Leonsis also owns the NBA’s Washington Wizards, the Washington Mystics of the WNBA and the Capital City Go-Go of the NBA G League.
The Capitals have made significant commitments to growing hockey in the Washington area during Leonsis’ tenure. Since the inception of the Future Caps Learn to Play program in 2016, more than 12,000 players have been introduced to hockey and more than 30,000 individuals have participated in a Capitals youth hockey event since 2018. In addition, the Capitals have built or refurbished 14 outdoor street and inline hockey rinks, as well as launching the Capitals Street Hockey League, to improve accessibility to the game.
The total number of USA Hockey-registered youth and adult players in Washington climbed by more than 220 percent from 2005-06 through 2025-26, and by 78 percent across Maryland, Virginia and Washington. The total number of USA Hockey-registered girls and women players across Washington, Maryland and Virginia increased by 225 percent during that period.
As part of his efforts to increase access to education for all, Leonsis serves as the chairman of the District of Columbia College Access Program (DC-CAP), a nonprofit scholarship provider for Washington-area students to pursue post-secondary opportunities. The Leonsis family also supports young student entrepreneurs at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business through their annual “Bark Tank” pitch competition, Leonsis Venture Lab and support for the Georgetown Entrepreneurship program.
“Ted’s stewardship of the Washington Capitals over the last 27 years has been transformative -- for the franchise, for the downtown neighborhood reinvigorated by the Caps’ presence and investment, and for the thousands of young people who have come to our game and experienced enhanced educational opportunities because of Ted’s philanthropy,” Commissioner Bettman said. “For all of that and so much more, Ted Leonsis is a truly worthy recipient of the Lester Patrick Trophy, among the most prestigious awards the National Hockey League presents.”
An annual award, the Lester Patrick Trophy was presented to the NHL by the New York Rangers in 1966 to honor the memory of Lester Patrick, who spent 50 years in hockey as a player, coach and general manager. Past winners include Ray Shero (2025), Sam Rosen (2024), Joe Bertagna (2023), Warren Strelow (2022), Jack Barzee (2021), Lynn Olson (2020), Jack Blatherwick (2019), Jim Johansson (2018), Peter Lindberg and Dave Ogrean (2017), Mark Howe and Patrick J. Kelly (2016), Jeremy Jacobs and Bob Crocker (2015), and Bill Daly and Paul Holmgren (2014).
