The Charity Hockey Classic

One month until Shot for Loot

Adam Bartholomew — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:06:15 +0000

Time is counting down to the big day.

Here is a link to the facebook site.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Shoot-for-Loot/293672180684610

Pick-A-Stick raises more than $18,000

Adam Bartholomew — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:04:34 +0000

Washington Capitals Charities raised $18,770 through its Pick-A-Stick fundraiser that took place at Verizon Center during the Caps game against the Carolina Hurricanes on Jan. 15. The fundraiser featured 250 hockey sticks signed by various Caps players that sold for $75 each. The sticks went on sale when doors to Verizon Center opened and were sold out before the start of the game.

Happy Hockey Holiday Silent Auction Raises More Than $15,000 for Charity

Adam Bartholomew — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 20:34:22 +0000

The Washington Capitals and the Caps Better Halves raised $15,575 through their Happy Hockey Holiday Silent Auction on Dec. 20, at the team’s game against the Nashville Predators. All the money raised will benefit Washington Capitals Charities.

The Caps Better Halves created gift baskets with the players’ favorite items. Each basket included a team-signed jersey and autographed Courage Caps, pucks, T-shirts and player cards. There were nine baskets, each featuring two players. Baskets were made for Karl Alzner and John Carlson, Jay Beagle and Marcus Johansson, Troy Brouwer and Michal Neuvirth, Jason Chimera and Brooks Laich, John Erskine and Mike Knuble, Jeff Halpern and Roman Hamrlik, Matt Hendricks and Alex Ovechkin and Jeff Schultz and Dennis Wideman.

Backstrom and Green’s basket – which included clothing the players, had worn and signed, gift certificates to Sushi Rock and Mussel Bar, games and Swedish snacks – raised the most money at $3,500. Almost all of the baskets sold for $1,000 or more.

Capitals Host Toy Drive at Verizon Center with Marine Corps Reserve

Adam Bartholomew — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 20:32:15 +0000

The Washington Capitals teamed up with Comcast SportsNet, Elliot in the Morning, the Washington Examiner and the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve to host their 12th-annual Capitals’ Toy Drive, presented by GEICO, on Dec. 9, at Verizon Center. The event was a success thanks to Caps fans who generously donated more than 1,000 toys, enough to fill a 17-foot JK Moving Services box truck.

Caps Better Halves Carmen Brouwer, Kim Hendricks, Mandy Flemmer (Karl Alzner) Mackenzie Keeley (Jeff Schultz) and Lindsay MacDonald (Dennis Wideman), along with the Red Rockers, the GEICO Gecko and several U.S. Marines, collected toys at the F Street entrance. Every Caps fan who made a donation received a poster of toy drive spokesman Alex Ovechkin. The donated toys will be distributed to underserved children throughout the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area this holiday season.

Alex Ovechkin Shops for Toys for Tots

Adam Bartholomew — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 20:29:38 +0000

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin shopped for toys on Friday, Dec. 2 at Toys “R” Us in Baileys Crossroads, Va., which will be donated to the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots Foundation. Ovechkin was joined by Comcast SportsNet analyst and Caps alumnus Alan May, Elliot in the Morning’s Elliot Segal, Lance Corporals Ackerman, Brown and Ayers of the U.S. Marines and the GEICO Gecko. The group spent $10,114 donated by Washington Capitals Charities on nearly 500 toys that will be distributed to underserved D.C. area children throughout the holiday season.

“It’s nice to know that we can help make a lot of kids happy for the holidays,” said Ovechkin, the Capitals’ toy drive spokesman. “I had a lot of fun today and it’s for an important cause.”

This event kicked off the Capitals Toy Drive presented by GEICO, which will take place when the Capitals host the Toronto Maple Leafs at Verizon Center on Dec. 9. Fans are encouraged to bring new, unwrapped toys to the F Street entrance of Verizon Center between 5:30 and 8 p.m. The first 2,000 fans to bring a toy or make a monetary donation will receive a free poster of Ovechkin. Last season the Capitals and their fans raised more than $5,000 and filled a 17-foot JK Moving truck with toys.

Dale Hunter Hired

Adam Bartholomew — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 20:27:28 +0000

The Washington Capitals have named Dale Hunter the team’s head coach, replacing Bruce Boudreau, vice president and general manager George McPhee announced today.

Hunter, 51, becomes the 15th coach in Washington Capitals history and will make his debut behind the bench tomorrow as the Capitals host the St. Louis Blues at Verizon Center.

Hunter helped the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) win their first Memorial Cup Championship in 2004-05 and is the fastest head coach in OHL history to record 300 and 400 career wins. The Petrolia, Ont., native owns the highest winning percentage in league history with a record of 451-189-23-24 (.691) in his 11 seasons behind the bench for London and was the 2003-04 winner of the Brian Kilrea Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Coach of the Year.

Happy Thanksgiving

Adam Bartholomew — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 20:25:30 +0000

In the United States, the modern Thanksgiving holiday tradition traces its origins to a 1621 celebration at Plymouth in present-day Massachusetts. There is also evidence for an earlier celebration on the continent by Spanish explorers in Texas at San Elizario in 1598, as well as thanksgiving feasts in the Virginia Colony.[7] The initial thanksgiving observance at Virginia in 1619 was prompted by the colonists’ leaders on the anniversary of the settlement.[8] The 1621 Plymouth feast and thanksgiving was prompted by a good harvest. In later years, the tradition was continued by civil leaders such as Governor Bradford who planned a thanksgiving celebration and fast in 1623.[9][10][11] While initially, the Plymouth colony did not have enough food to feed half of the 102 colonists, the Wampanoag Native Americans helped the Pilgrims by providing seeds and teaching them to fish. The practice of holding an annual harvest festival like this did not become a regular affair in New England until the late 1660s.[12]
According to historian Jeremy Bangs, director of the Leiden American Pilgrim Museum, the Pilgrims may have been influenced by watching the annual services of Thanksgiving for the relief of the siege of Leiden in 1574, while they were staying in Leiden.

Capitals Collect More Than 2,000 Pounds of Food at Annual Canned Food Drive presented by Volkswagen

Adam Bartholomew — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 20:21:20 +0000

The Washington Capitals, Volkswagen, Comcast SportsNet, Mix 107.3 and The Washington Examiner hosted a canned food drive at the Caps game against the Winnipeg Jets on Nov. 23 to benefit the Capital Area Food Bank. Caps fans donated 2,412 pounds of food to help in the Capital Area Food Bank’s fight to end hunger, nearly 200 pounds more than the team collected during the 2010 drive. The Capital Area Food Bank also collected $1,635 at the drive in addition to the $10,000 that Washington Capitals Charities donated to the nonprofit earlier this month.

Capitals players’ wives and girlfriends Mandy Flemmer, Monika Hybnerova and Lindsay MacDonald greeted fans at the F Street entrance along with volunteers from the Capital Area Food Bank. Fans who provided nonperishable food or monetary donations received a poster featuring Caps defenseman and canned food drive spokesman John Carlson.

Earlier this month Carlson participated in an event at the Capital Area Food Bank in an effort to combat hunger in the Washington, D.C., area and serve those in need. Carlson, along with mascot Slapshot, Comcast SportsNet’s Alan May, Mix 107.3’s Chilli Amar and 50 Caps fans spent their afternoon volunteering at the Capital Area Food Bank in Washington, D.C. The group worked to pack and sort donated food at the Capital Area Food Bank’s distribution center.

Largest Blood Drive in Inova History

Adam Bartholomew — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 20:18:33 +0000

Go Mason Go!

After all the counting and recounting George Mason University students, alumni, faculty and supporters helped GMU collect 1,057 units of blood. This is the largest blood drive in the history of both Inova Blood Donor Services as well as George Mason University. This drive was done in honor of Dr. Merten who will be retiring at the end of the spring semester and is a great way to send him off. The results of the challenge won’t be released for another month but we are all very proud of the Mason family who stepped up for this record setting day.

CAA Blood Challenge

Adam Bartholomew — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 20:14:57 +0000

George Mason University’s CAA Blood Challenge is today. With over 800 people signed up to give blood and help Mason take the title away from Drexel we already have hundreds more than last year signed up before the drive. Walk ups are of course welcome. Come enjoy the free food from Papa Johns, Chick-Fil-a, Buffalo Wings University, and Chipotle. The drive is being held in the Johnson Center’s lower floor and free parking can be found on campus in Lot J and Lot K.