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APRIL/MAY 2019 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 37 k TED LEONSIS never loses sight of the community in the business of sports. And one of the Washington Capitals owner's favorite causes is Fort Dupont Ice Arena in Washington, D.C. The rink benefits thousands of underserved area residents with free or subsidized hockey, figure skating or speed skating lessons. The Capitals—who practiced at the facility during the late 1970s and early 1980s—are regulars at the rink in terms of donating time, money and equipment. It was one of the first places Leonsis and Alex Ovechkin took the Stanley Cup. "Fort Dupont has a special place in our hearts," Leonsis said during a recent interview. "It's Washington D.C. You go and see the families there trying to learn the game, and more importantly, learn the power of teamwork, and respect of coaching. There is nothing negative that comes out of that experience." It's quite an experience for the young skaters when Capitals players show up, and they connect more with the organization's minority players. Devante Smith-Pelly, Madison Bowey, Joel Ward, Donald Brashear, Jason Doig and Anson Carter have all volunteered time during their Capitals careers. Smith-Pelly took a chance to highlight the good work at Fort Dupont after an ugly incident. After fans yelled racial taunts at him in Chicago last season, the Capitals decided to donate money to a charity of his choice. Smith- Pelly picked Fort Dupont to receive $23,000. "Fort Dupont has reached the hearts and souls of our players," Leonsis said. "They see themselves in these players, and they know how difficult and expensive hockey can be. They also know the sacrifices that moms, dads, brothers and sisters have when you are a dad or a mom in a hockey family." Even some of Washington's All-Stars such as John Carlson and Braden Holtby got involved to help beautify the rink. This will be the 10th straight year of service projects the Capitals hosted at the rink. Former Washington head coach Barry Trotz and his wife Kim headlined a project during the Stanley Cup Final last year, where they helped paint locker rooms, hallways and bathrooms, organizing equipment and getting their hands dirty weeding flowerbeds outside. The Capitals also donate equipment through Leveling the Playing Field, another nonprofit. They gave about $8,000 worth of equipment since 2016, which includes 75 pairs of gloves, helmets and sticks. The Capitals take the most pride in giving $230,000 since 2013 to the Fort Dupont Cannons, which is the oldest minority hockey program in North America. "The Washington Capitals have helped us out tremendously," said Neal Henderson, the Cannons' long-time director and local hockey icon. – Tom Worgo CAPITAL INVESTMENT "Fort Dupont has reached the hearts and souls of our players. They see themselves in these players." Gray committed $15 million to the rink as mayor in 2013. Now, as a councilmember whose ward includes the rink, he is intent on helping the Friends of Fort Dupont reach its fundraising goal. "They don't have a track record for raising that kind of money," Gray said. "We are going to do everything we can to help them make it happen. I am going to continue to reach out to the hockey professional community." That's why Newberry is in regular contact with Gray. He is not only in a race against time to meet the city's schedule, but the building 's urgent needs dictate the real deadline. "I wasn't afraid of the rink closing," Newberry said. "I was afraid of a catastrophic failure. Eventually, we are going to lose the piping under the floor. Then you are shutting down in the middle of the season and have to come up with $500,000 to $750,000 to replace all that." But Newberry doesn't dwell on facility problems because he has $3 million to raise. " We could have shovels in the ground by October of 2020." P Tom Worgo is a freelance writer based in Annapolis, Md.