When the Washington Capitals just lately up to date their observe schedule forward of their Home Opener, the workforce’s skate on Wednesday had a stunning venue change. The Caps introduced that they’d take the ice on the Talbot County Ice Skating Rink. Head coach Spencer Carbery mentioned that he believed getting gamers out of their regular routine will assist them build camaraderie with one another.
While Wednesday was the workforce’s solely listed day in Maryland, the Capitals finally left for the Eastern Shore on Monday afternoon (with their golf golf equipment in tow) for what truly quantities to a three-day journey. The membership’s itinerary offered ample down time for the gamers, which changed into an opportunity assembly of a lifetime for some Maryland Capitals followers.
Take longtime reader Drew and his son Elliot, a youth hockey participant for the Easton Icehawks. Drew reached out to RMNB in excitement on Instagram.
“My son and I were getting ready to head out to meet a buddy of mine to go for a boat ride on the Choptank River to see tree swallows going to roost,” started Drew. “My buddy Matt lives in Cambridge and he popped into RAR Brewing to fill a growler before going to pick up his boat. The bar, as he put it, was filled with a bunch of guys, which he thought was strange.”
The bartender advised Matt that these guys occurred to be hockey famous person/world sports activities superstar Alex Ovechkin and the remainder of the 2023-24 Washington Capitals.
Drew’s bird-watching journey must wait.
“So Matt texted us,” Drew mentioned. “My son immediately threw on his Capitals jersey, the same one he wore to the Game Five, Stanley Cup Finals viewing party in 2018, and was yelling at me, ‘Lets go!” We hurried over from Easton to Cambridge, walked within the door, and there the entire workforce was sitting round casually hanging out.”
The second created recollections the daddy and son would always remember. “It was surreal,” Drew mentioned. “Elliot could barely talk, which is pretty unusual for someone his age.” For occasion, Drew, who had been sporting a quantity 19 Capitals sweatshirt all day, was now rubbing elbows with THE Nicklas Backstrom in his neck of the woods.
“As soon as we walked in, Trevor van Riemsdyk looked at us and got this funny look on his face like you guys are in for a treat,” Drew mentioned. “We spoke to the hostess who was going to seat us after which I noticed Kuzy. I walked proper up and began to talk. He was extremely chill and advised me in regards to the observe at Easton Wednesday morning.
“My son saw Ovi sitting across from Kuzy and ran over. Ovi was super gracious, signed his jersey, and later took the selfie with him. Ovi took the pic. Elliot even asked him for hockey advice.”
Ovi advised Elliot, “Just go for the puck as hard as you can.”
Drew described the expertise as “kind of a blur” as a result of how a lot it meant to each him and his son. Drew remembers speaking to John Carlson about his harm final season and telling Charlie Lindgren that he hoped he’d get extra begins. He additionally regarded again fondly at his son’s photograph with Connor McMichael and fist bumps with Tom Wilson, TJ Oshie, Nicklas Backstrom, Nick Jensen, Martin Fehervary, Sonny Milano, Anthony Mantha, and Darcy Kuemper.
He recalled all of the Russian-speaking Caps sitting collectively as Alex Alexeyev and Aliaksei Protas stayed near Kuzy and Ovi.
“There were just a few other people in bar too, which made it even more special,” Drew mentioned. “For the most part, we just walked around with a sharpie and had the entire team sign Elliot’s jersey. It’s super sentimental because my late mother got him the sweater and now it’s signed by the entire team. We’re going to frame it with the photos to create a Caps shrine in his room. Elliot could barely contain himself.”
This is, in essence, the kind of good will and group building that makes extra hockey followers, particularly in an space that hardly ever if ever has Caps appearances
While a bird-watching journey on the Choptank might sound like a simple sacrifice, the annual boat journey brings the household nearer collectively via nature.
“At sunset, waves of blackbirds pour into the marsh,” Drew mentioned. “As light fades, the sky fills with tree swallows. Right at last light, they spill into the marsh like water being poured out of a pitcher. One time a raptor tore through the giant flock and they split up and were flying all around us.”
But one thing tells me they made the best determination.
“My son kept saying over and over, ‘This is the best day of my life.’”
Photos: @djk_knives/IG
