Capitals' practice at Fort Dupont rink 'will enlighten every kid there'

Neal Henderson thinks about the Washington Capitals' plan to practice at Fort Dupont Ice Arena and envisions it as a potential seminal moment for the youth hockey players and students who attend.

The 83-year-old founder of the Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Club, North America's oldest minority-oriented youth hockey program, knows well the impact an up-close look at the sport can have.

"I think it will enlighten every kid there," said Henderson, who founded the Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Club in 1978. "Such people as the Washington Capitals, to be there in their presence, to be there and come see them, will enlighten them to the highest of their days."

The practice, which will be held at a date to be determined pending approval from local health authorities, and an all-day hockey event and celebration of the Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Club are part of a series of public and internal initiatives the Capitals announced Aug. 5 that focus on diversity in hockey, racial equality and the recognition of the achievements by Black individuals.

The Capitals' plans also include:

* Launching the Capital Impact Fund to benefit organizations that assist in eliminating the monetary barriers for minority youth players and providing continued financial support toward building ice rinks and multisport facilities in low-income neighborhoods.

* With an assist from NBC Sports Washington, donating a suite at Capital One Arena at select games to hockey programs and groups supporting change in the sport.

* Through funding from the Monumental Sports and Entertainment Foundation, supporting two coaches at Fort Dupont Ice Arena during the 2020-21 season from Up2Us Sports, a nonprofit organization that trains coaches to serve as mentors and role models to youth in underserved communities.

* Founding a Diversity in Hockey Committee, including youth hockey parents and coaches and representatives from the Capitals youth hockey department and hockey operations staff, charged with formulating ways to eradicate racism and grow the game in underserved communities.

* A tour of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington by the Capitals team in 2020-21, as well as an annual visit to the museum by development camp players.

* The launch of a Black Hockey microsite that highlights the 11 Black players who have played for the Capitals and emphasizes the team's and League-wide diversity initiatives, as well as a display at Capital One Arena dedicated to the team's Black players.

"I think it's great for us to grow the game and reach areas where maybe we've never reached before," Capitals forward T.J. Oshie said. "This game has given me everything that I have in my life, and to not reach out those communities, I think, is the wrong thing to do. So I'm looking forward to getting to Fort Dupont and practicing, letting those communities see us play, see now much fun we have, see how fast the game is and, hopefully, we'll have very soon a new wave of young, talented NHL players coming into the game."

Capitals players and staff have visited Fort Dupont Ice Arena, the only full-size indoor ice arena in Washington, to run hockey clinics and have hosted the Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Club at MedStar Capitals Iceplex for practices and clinics. Captain Alex Ovechkin and owner Ted Leonsis also brought the Stanley Cup to Fort Dupont Ice Arena after Washington won it in 2018.

But this will be the first time the Capitals will practice at Fort Dupont Ice Arena. Students from Washington public schools, community centers and area hockey programs will be invited to attend.

"They've got a great setup there with their rink, and to see us come there and practice hopefully will give them a little spark and get them into hockey," center Nicklas Backstrom said. "I think for the whole community going forward here it's a big thing for us and them."

The Capitals have long been supporters of Fort Dupont Ice Arena and the Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Club. The NHL, Monumental Sports and Entertainment Foundation and Leonsis family each donated $100,000 in 2019 toward the renovation of the rink and construction of a new two-rink facility. Capitals players donated $227,400, through the Garth Brooks Teammates for Kids Program, to Fort Dupont Ice Arena from 2003-19.

"Helping the rink helps us," said Henderson, who was inducted into the USA Hockey Hall of Fame in 2019. "We have no other place to go, and for them to show that much enthusiasm only provides that much more encouragement for the kids to come. … Kids in the neighborhood, they're going to come when they have the opportunity and the parents make it available for them to come.

"Kids are like a sponge. They'll soak up anything that they feel they can accomplish."