Are you going to the Washington Capitals game tonight? If you are you should definitely get there early! There are a ton of activities leading up to the drop of the puck to celebrate the return of hockey and a somewhat return to normalcy with an 82 game season and a full capacity Capital One Arena.
The tradition of Rock the Red carpet will continue but for the second year in a row it will be different. Last year it was all virtual. This year, the players entering is still virtual due to COVID-19 protocols but there will be another red carpet for fans to walk and take pictures on. But that’s not all. There will also be a Capital One Fan Van and even a pep rally at the Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro stop.
Rock the Red Carpet will take place on F Street from 4-6:30 p.m. and will include alumni Karl Alzner, Peter Bondra, and Rod Langway. Other festivities will include stilt walkers, bubble hockey, face painters, photo opportunities on the red carpet plus a performance by Norther Virginia based band “Junkfood”.
Over on the players side of things fans can watch the stream of the players entering the arena on the Capitals official Twitter and Facebook accounts as well as MonumentalSportsNetwork.com. Players will arrive in cars provided by Lexus while GEICO will sponsor the Rock the Red carpet show hosted by the voice of the Caps, John Walton as well as digital host Taryn Bray.
The Capital One Fan Van will be parked outside of Capital One Arena on F street starting at 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 13 vs. the New York Rangers and at 5 p.m. on Oct. 16 vs. the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Fan Van will feature limited edition apparel, interactive engagements and exclusive prizes. Fans will also have the opportunity to check out a mock Capital One penalty box for a photo op and play Capital Puck Drop Plinko for exclusive prizes.
The Capital One Fan Van will be open to all fans and if you’re a Capital One cardholder you’ll get an exclusive additional prize if you use the Capital One cardholder entrance located on 6th street.
Finally, there’s Meet at the Metro with the Caps. The Gallery Place/Chinatown WMATA Metro station will feature a Capitals takeover featuring alumni, team mascot Slapshot, and the ALL CAPS Crew hype squad from 4:30-5:30 p.m.
All fans will receive a 2021-22 schedule magnet presented by GEICO as well as red light glow sticks courtesy of Boeing. Get in your seats well before puck drop for the pregame introductions. I particularly can’t wait for the scene it’s going to look like when over 18,000 fans are waving those glow sticks to greet their Capitals.