It is the number one question Washington Capitals fans have been asking for the last year. When will Capital One Arena open to fans? As teams have been opening their arenas and welcoming fans back, the Caps are still waiting on the thumbs up from D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and other city officials.
On Monday, Bowser met with reporters and while she didn’t give us a clear answer, we can at least get a general idea on when we can return to Capital One Arena to see our beloved Caps again.
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The good news that can open the door for Capital One Arena to open is the baseball team down the road got approval to host 5,000 fans for opening day. The Washington Nationals have fought with the Mayor’s office to get fans in the seats for opening day. They won with 12% capacity to start the season.
That was only applied to outdoor venues aka the Nationals and D.C. United at Audi Field. Should the 12 percent rule apply to arenas that puts Capital One Arena at a capacity of 2,400 (based on basketball capacity). The Caps can apply to host fans on March 22nd and it is likely we can be back on 7th and F street in April if all goes well.
The potential date we could be back might be April 8th against the Boston Bruins. There will be nine regular season home games remaining when March is over. The Caps first played in front of fans when they traveled to face the Philadelphia Flyers.
Samantha Pell of The Washington Post reported on Sunday that Monumental Sports and Entertainment, the company that owns the Caps and Wizards, have submitted a request to the D.C. Government a plan to safely allow fans back into Capital One Arena, according to a statement from Monica Dixon of MSE.
I think it’s time to open the arenas. If stores, bars and restaurants are open why not give stadiums and arenas the green light as well? If we can do it socially distance style it should work and the other teams fanbases in the East Division have proven that, well except for the Penguins who photoshopped masks on fans.
It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since the world changed. It’s been over a year since we cheered on the Caps from Capital One Arena and have since watched them from the comfort of our own home. We’re almost there we just have to keep washing our hands and wearing our masks.