10/11/2026

Washington Capitals (National Hockey League) @ Capital One Arena (Washington, DC)

I take advantage of my travels to watch a LEGEND before it's too late

James Calingo

Tags:
Capitals, First Visit, Hockey, Indoor Sports, Major Leagues, National Hockey League, Washington DC

2026: New Venue #30

Prior to winning the Stanley Cup in 2018, the Washington Capitals were probably best known for two things:

1. The worst regular season in NHL history (their first season in 1974-75, in which they had a winning percentage of exactly .100)

2. Their inability to go deep into the playoffs despite having Alexander Ovechkin - one of the NHL's top talents of the 2000s (I mean check outthis goal from his first season in the NHL). As an aside, this post will NOT be getting into some of the "less savory" details about him (i.e. when you combine his country of origin with certain leanings common amongst hockey players...).

Since winning that Cup, they've won exactly ONE playoff series - though Ovechkin did what was once thought to be impossible and claim the title of the NHL's all time leading goalscorer (though he ain't getting the points record from Gretzky).

I'll be honest: I'm looking into going to a few NHL games this year (though I feel like that shouldn't come as a surprise). A lot of that is because I've only been to NHL games at THREE arenas, and I figured I'd like to check out a few more (mainly with the advent of this blog). On that note, however, I must admit that THIS particular game was not really on my "radar" until a week before it happened - despite me knowing for over a month that I'd be in town for the Banana Bowl. Thankfully, the Caps just so happened to be playing at home the day before (Friday) AND after (Sunday); I chose the "after" game for a few reasons:

1. I didn't want to have to rush down on a Friday afternoon to catch a 7:00 PM puck drop, and since I was staying with my brother, I wouldn't have to worry about spending an extra night at a hotel (parking, on the other hand...)

2. It was slightly less expensive

3. It featured a team I haven't seen yet: the Seattle Kraken. I have seen FAR fewer NHL teams vs. MLB (since, as mentioned earlier, I've only been to three arenas before this), but I figured trying to get to 32/32 (and then potentially more) would be fun to try (the "before" game would have been the Rangers)¹

On some level, I felt like I jumped early; I bought this ticket immediately after learning that the Caps were home when I was going to be in DC (which was about a week before the Banana Bowl), and I might have been able to find something a bit "better" had I waited a few days. What I was NOT expecting, however, was a fourth reason why going to this game was prudent:

4. Alex Ovechkin announced that this would be his final season about 24 hours after I bought the ticket - though it didn't seem to affect the market for this particular game in a major way (part of that may be the Commanders being home on the same day FWIW²)

The day before the game, I decided to check out the team's practice facility a short Metro ride away (for reasons I'll get to in a sec), and the team was practicing (it was open for fans to watch). One particular player wasn't present for the team practice, but I believe he was busy entertaining some young fans (who were probably his kids) in an adjacent rink...

That aside, what is now Capital One Arena opened in DC's Chinatown neighborhood in 1997 as a replacement for an arena known as the Capital Centre (though despite the name, it was in Maryland³). If you remember me talking about the Philadelphia arena saga, then you might remember me mentioning that the Sixers wanted an arena in Philly's Chinatown, which was feared to be disruptive to the area - with DC as an example of what could happen (i.e. the reduction of Chinatown). I have no reference of how the neighborhood was prior to the arena's arrival, but at least according to Wikipedia, it has been cited as part of a "revitalization" of the neighborhood.

At this point, I probably don't need to talk about NBA/NHL arena layouts as they're all largely the same: main concourse for the lower bowl, upper concourse for the upper decks, both fully encircle the building to allow fans access to their seats. However, what makes THIS arena a bit unique is the fact that there's three levels of "non-suite" seats and a "middle" concourse for the second level - though a premium area means it doesn't go fully around the arena. While the concourses aren't exactly "special", my biggest gripe with them is the complete lack of natural lighting - though the building is currently undergoing a renovation (like other arenas built in the 1990s), so there's a chance this may not be the case in the future.

Inside the arena itself, there are FAR more video screens than most arenas I've seen: in addition to your standard center jumbotron, there are double-sided screens in each of the four corners. The ones facing the center of the arena display stats and stuff, while the ones facing out show the game and score to fans stuck immediately behind them.

If you're afraid of goal horns, be advised that much like MOST NHL buildings (save for the two Gardens and apparently Toronto), the arena has one that sounds after the team scores (though I probably should've mentioned this a LONG time ago). I believe most NHL teams have their goal horns near the center of the building (i.e. above or inside the jumbotron), so how far you are from it will determine how loud it sounds (it wasn't that loud in the ends, but a bit louder on the sides).

The bad news: the Capitals lost on a late goal (which happened with about five minutes to go in the game). The good news: I got to see Ovechkin score his first goal of this last season. One other thing I will say: the crowd was actually pretty into it (moreso than the Rangers game I felt) - even in the Metro station after the game.