The event is held yearly to benefit Inova Blood Donor Services. A team of Washington Capitals alumni will take on corporate teams from Booz Allen Hamilton and Deloitte, as well as a group of youth hockey coaches from around Northern Virginia, called the Virginia Coaching Cardinals.
The event is scheduled for Sept. 7 at 7:00 p.m. Admission $10 but children wearing hockey jerseys are admitted free. The event features a round-robin format of 15-minute games, and is expected to run until 10:30 p.m.
Doors open for the event, at Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Ballston Aug. 27, at 7:00 a.m. and player autograph sessions begin at 9:00 a.m. There will also be open skate sessions at the Iceplex. Tickets may only be purchased in advance.
Those who purchase tickets won’t get the chance to see any hockey action, however — USA Hockey and the NHL couldn’t come to an agreement to allow the players to participate in hockey activities. Instead attendees will receive, according to USA Hockey, player autographs, a collectible puck, a limited-edition scarf, an American flag and pre-order access to the 2014 USA Hockey replica jerseys.
This is the first time the Iceplex has hosted a USA Hockey Orientation Camp. The Ballston facility will host the full contingent of USA Men’s Hockey, including Conn Smythe winner — the NHL’s award for its Stanley Cup Playoffs MVP — Patrick Kane and several members of the team that won the silver medal in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
The Olympians will be at the facility from Aug. 25-29, and the camp itself will be held from Aug. 26-27.
The Hockey is for Everyone (HIFE) campaign is the official youth development program of the National Hockey League. It celebrates grassroots hockey and the growing diversity of the game. Many activities throughout the month are aimed at giving kids of all backgrounds opportunities to play the sport. The programs highlight essential life skills and the core values of hockey such as commitment, perseverance and teamwork. The initiative also supports hockey programs that assist disabled military personnel in returning to active lifestyles.
There are numerous events throughout the D.C. area for HIFE Month. The following events will take place in Arlington:
The Yorktown Ice Hockey Club has been in existence since 2003. The team has not been granted sports team status at the school, but is instead considered an “interest club.” It’s part of the Northern Virginia Scholastic Hockey League, which is the premier high school level league in Northern Virginia, and was bumped up from junior varsity to varsity this year.
One of the coaches boasted to ARLnow.com about having the league’s leading goal scorer on his team. Cameron Smith has scored 17 goals in three games, including a record-setting 11 in one game. So far this year, the team is 2-2.
Under the slogan of “Give Blood, Play Hockey,” Inova Blood Donor Services is holding its fourth annual Charity Hockey Classic fundraiser at the ice rink in Ballston on Sept. 9. Tickets for the event are available online.
More information about the fundraiser, from a press release:
It began this morning with outdoor yoga at the Crystal City Water Park (1750 Crystal Drive). The free yoga sessions will continue every Monday through September, starting at 7:00 a.m.
Tomorrow, the FRESHFARM Farmers Market returns with a variety of items from local growers and producers. The market is open from 3:00-7:00 p.m., and will be held every Tuesday through November on Crystal Drive between 18th and 20th Streets.
Obama to Appear in Arlington on Friday — President Obama will deliver a speech about the economy at Arlington’s Fire Station 5 on Friday. The fire station is located on S. Hayes Street in Aurora Highlands, a couple of blocks from Pentagon City mall. [Washington Post]
Three Candidates Running for School Board — There are now three Democratic candidates running for two open Arlington County School Board seats: Emma Violand-Sanchez (incumbent), Noah Simon and Larry Fishtahler. Arlington Democrats will endorse two candidates at a May caucus. [Sun Gazette]
The charity game, which benefits Inova Blood Donor Services, will pit the Booz Allen Hamilton Minutemen corporate hockey team against the returning champion Virginia Coaching Cardinals, a squad of local youth hockey coaches. John “Cakes” Auville and Eric “E.B.” Bickel — of the Sports Junkies morning show on 106.7 The Fan — will serve as guest coaches, along with Capitals teammates Matt Hendricks and Jeff Schultz.
The event, which is being held from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, will also feature a silent auction, appearances by local celebrities, ‘Mites on Ice’ youth hockey exhibitions and “the ever-popular ‘chuck-a-duck’ contest,” according to a press release. Tickets are $10 for adults and free for kids. Organizers hope to raise $40,000 to purchase a blood testing machine for Inova.
The joint ACFD/ACPD team beat Montgomery County Fire (score: 5-1), D.C. Fire (score: 7-0) and Baltimore City Fire (twice) to win their division at the annual D.C. Firefighters Burn Foundation hockey tournament in Laurel, Md. They won 5-4 in overtime in the championship game against Baltimore City on Sunday.
Team organizer Sean Spencer says the 30-man roster contains people who have been playing ice hockey since they were kids and people who just took up the sport in the past couple of years. They had great chemistry on the ice, he said, despite only playing together as a team one time prior to the tournament.
The RV is on a tour of the U.S. and Canada to promote the “real hockey experience” of playing NHL 2K11 on the Nintendo Wii.
It’s here in Arlington in advance of two promotional appearances this weekend: Saturday at a GameStop in Rockville (14929 Shady Grove Road), and Sunday at a Best Buy in Alexandria (5901 Stevenson Ave). Both appareances will take place from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
