Capitals donate Verizon Center dasherboards to D.C.’s only public ice rink
When the Washington Capitals open up their 2015-16 home preseason schedule next month against the Carolina Hurricanes, the Verizon Center will have new boards and glass. The change comes after head coach Barry Trotz expressed his displeasure with the setup toward the end of last season.
The old arena boards won’t be broken down into scrap or anything; they’ll be going to a great cause: supporting local hockey.
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According to William Douglas at the Color of Hockey, the Capitals have donated a set of Verizon Center dasherboards to Fort Dupont Ice Arena, D.C.’s only public indoor skating rink.
The Fort Dupont Ice Arena was built in 1976 and is one of the few indoor rinks in the United States located in a largely African-American community. It’s a stone’s throw from the historic home of abolitionist Frederick Douglass and, ironically, not too far from where Philadelphia Flyers founder Ed Snider was born.
The rink is home to the Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Club, the nation’s oldest minority-oriented youth hockey program. And the rink offers a Kids on Ice program that provides youngsters with free skating lessons. The rink, through its programs, serves 7,000 children annually.
The Capitals are actively involved with the Fort Dupont rink, donating $113,000 to its hockey program since 2004.
Fort Dupont Ice Arena GM Ty Newberry told Douglas that the rink is set to undergo a $20.4 million renovation beginning next spring, and having dasherboards donated will cut down on costs.
So now Trotz can smile knowing his home rink will have new boards this coming season and local youth players will skate on a rink using the boards their hockey heroes once used.
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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy
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