The Washington Capitals are clearing out old merchandise and gear at a charity “garage sale” in Ballston this weekend.
Caps T-shirts, bobbleheads, posters and more will be available for purchase from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. this Saturday at the MedStar Capitals Iceplex at 627 N. Glebe Road. Merchandise proceeds will benefit the Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation, the team’s official charity.
As the local figure skating community grieves last month’s mid-air crash over the Potomac, MedStar Capitals Iceplex has enlisted therapy dogs to offer comfort and support.
Dogs from the nationwide nonprofit Canine Companions paid skaters a visit to the facility in Ballston last week and have planned another visit planned this Sunday, program manager Caitlin Bradley told ARLnow.
With a half-billion dollar deal to modernize and expand Capital One Arena in place, the Washington Capitals are now mulling their future at the MedStar Capitals Iceplex in Ballston.
ARLnow has learned that the team recently started talking to Arlington County about potential modernizations and improvements to the 137,000 square foot, county-owned facility. The Iceplex opened in 2006 and serves as the Caps’ official NHL practice facility and headquarters, as well as the home ice for college, high school and beer league hockey teams.
Nearly 50 youth hockey players with disabilities took to the ice in Ballston this week to sharpen their skills with Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin.
On Wednesday, members of the American Special Hockey Association (ASHA) convened at the MedStar Capitals Iceplex to spend several hours learning various skating techniques and skills from Ovechkin and other Capitals players, including Aliaksei Protas, Matthew Phillips and Alexander Alexeyev.
Ballston might remain the place where the Washington Capitals practice if everything goes to plan and the hockey team begins playing games in a newly announced sports arena in Potomac Yard.
The new arena for the Caps and Washington Wizards, as well as a concert venue, could open as soon as 2028 in the Alexandria neighborhood already seeing heavy investment, including a new Metro station and Virginia Tech’s forthcoming Innovation Campus.
(Updated at 4:05 p.m.)Looking to score some Washington Capitals gear and give back?
The hockey team is hosting its first-ever charity “garage sale” this Saturday at MedStar Capitals Iceplex (627 N. Glebe Road) in Ballston, featuring everything from bobbleheads to T-shirts, posters and hats. Players will not have personal items for sale, we’re told.
More than 800 Arlington Public Schools students are being invited to a special Washington Capitals practice later this week.
Caps star Alexander Ovechkin scored his 802nd career goal last month, passing Gordie Howe on the NHL’s all-time goals list. Now APS students will help Ovie celebrate the achievement.
The Washington Capitals are hosting a women’s hockey tournament and a series of clinics at the Capitals’ practice facility in Ballston next month.
The four game showcase from the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA), part of the association’s “Dream Gap Tour,” will take place from March 4-6 at the Medstar Capital Iceplex on N. Glebe Road. It will feature teams from Minnesota, Boston, Calgary, and Toronto. This is the sixth stop for the tour, but the first time in the D.C. area.
An Arlington resident has produced a new documentary about the mesmerizing world of synchronized skating.
Scooters Can Officially Ride on Sidewalks, Trails — Details about the new, William Shatner-approved permanent e-scooter and e-bike regulations approved by the County Board over the weekend: “Motorized scooters and skateboards will have a top speed of 15 miles per hour, and e-bicycles will have a top speed of 20 miles per hour on streets and trails. When operating on public sidewalks, the top speed of all the devices is restricted to six miles per hour. The devices will not be allowed to operate on sidewalks where a protected bicycle lane is available and may be prohibited from other sidewalks.” [Arlington County]
Progress on Second Ballston Metro Entrance Plan — “At long last, Arlington seems to be making real progress on building a western entrance to the Ballston Metro station — and that includes finding a path to fund the stalled project. County officials plan to set aside an extra $25 million for the Metro station entrance, then ask for $33.5 million in regional transportation funding for the project.” [Washington Business Journal]
Arlington Rooftop Bar Reopens — After being shut down by county building inspectors, Arlington Rooftop Bar and Grill in Courthouse reopened Tuesday evening, just in time to watch the Nationals sweep the Cardinals in Game 4 of the NLDS, to advance to the first World Series in D.C. since 1933. [Twitter]
Housing Still Hot Near HQ2 — “The median sale price for all home types in the 22202 [zip code, which includes the Pentagon City and Crystal City area] jumped nearly 40% in September compared with the same time last year, reaching $685,000… That makes it nine straight months of home price appreciation for the 22202 area. Arlington County as a whole saw a modest 12% year-to-date increase, $590,000 for all home types.” [Washington Business Journal]
New Grocery Store for Crystal City — “D.C.-based Dweck Properties is pitching a nearly 16,000-square-foot ‘urban format grocery store’ for the base of its Crystal Plaza apartments, according to plans filed with Arlington County this summer. Dweck is hoping to add roughly 38,000 square feet of retail to a plaza in front of the apartments, located at 2111 Richmond Highway.” [Washington Business Journal]
New Record High at DCA — “Washington is experiencing a beastly hot October day, unlike anything it has previously observed. The city exceeded its hottest October temperature ever previously observed, hitting 98 degrees, surpassing the mark of 96 degrees set on Oct. 5, 1941.” [Washington Post]
