Caps to Play Pre-Season Game in Baltimore

The Baltimore Hockey Classic to be Held at 1st Mariner Arena on Sept. 20

Washington Capitals will host Nashville Predators to Open Exhibition Schedule

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals will face the Nashville Predators in the Baltimore Hockey Classic on Sept. 20, 2011, at 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Capitals general manager George McPhee, 1st Mariner Arena/SMG general manager Frank Remesch and President of the Baltimore City Council, Bernard C. “Jack” Young announced today.

“Baltimore is a great hockey market with a long hockey tradition, and some talented NHL players and coaches have come through that city,” said Washington Capitals president Dick Patrick. “The Capitals had an AHL affiliation with the Baltimore Skipjacks from 1988 to 1993, and we always have received strong support from Baltimoreans. This preseason game is an opportunity for us to take Caps hockey to them.”

Every Washington Capitals full-season account holder will have the opportunity to purchase tickets for the Baltimore Hockey Classic beginning Wednesday, April 13 at 10 a.m. Details on ticket availability and pricing will be sent to full season-ticket holders when they become available. All other fans interested in attending the event are encouraged to purchase their tickets when they go on sale on Saturday, April 16 at 10 a.m.

The Capitals finished the 2010-11 regular season with the best record in the Eastern Conference and captured their fourth consecutive Southeast Division title. The team is led by two-time Hart Trophy winner and four-time all-star Alex Ovechkin, who became the sixth-youngest player to score 300 career goals (25 years, 200 days) and seventh-quickest player to reach 300 goals in terms of games played (473). Washington will open their 2011 Stanley Cup Quarterfinal schedule against the New York Rangers on Wednesday, April 13 at 7:30 p.m. at Verizon Center. The Capitals owned the best home record in the Eastern Conference this season and have finished in the top three in home wins in each of the past three seasons.

The Washington Capitals called Landover, Maryland home from 1974-1997. They played their home games at the Capital Centre before moving to downtown Washington D.C. for the 1997-98 season.

From 1981-1993, Baltimore was home to the Skipjacks, a minor league affiliate that began in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League and then moved to the American Hockey League. The Jacks were affiliated with the Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals before moving to Portland, Maine after the 1992-93 season. Former Capitals legends Don Beaupre and Olaf Kolzig, to name a few, spent some of their minor league careers in Baltimore. The Baltimore Bandits, AHL affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks, played at 1st Mariner Arena from 1995-97.

The 1st Mariner Arena, formerly the Baltimore Arena, is Baltimore’s largest indoor venue and entertainment facility and has long been considered an anchor that contributed to the growth and prosperity of Baltimore. The Arena opened in 1962 and was the cornerstone of the Baltimore Inner Harbor redevelopment. It hosts an average of 130 events and over a half million guests come through the turnstiles annually.

1st Mariner Arena has garnered the Touring Industries’ highest honors three years running. In 2008, 1st Mariner Arena was named a Top 5 Building in the World (Buildings 10,000 – 14,999 Billboard Magazine) and in 2009 the Arena was named #1 building in North America (Buildings 10,001 – 15,000/Billboard Magazine & Venues Today). Last year, it was ranked #7 in the world (Buildings 10,001 – 15,000/Billboard Magazine).

For more information on The Baltimore Classic or 1st Mariner Arena, please visit www.WashingtonCaps.com or www.1stMarinerArena.com.