Looks like fans aren't the only ones excited that hockey is right around the corner! Lots of smiles on players faces today when they took the ice for the first time for 2011 season. Enjoy these photos.  

All Photos by: Cheryl Nichols/CapsNewsNetwork

Semin

Weller

Ovechkin

Perreault

Hendricks

Ovi

Backstrom

Laich

Halpern

Chimera

Aucoin

Washington Capitals Captain Alex Ovechkin, left wing Jason Chimera and mascot Slapshot visited Saint James Catholic School in Falls Church, Virginia on Monday, September 12 to demonstrate and teach floor hockey to 220 fifth through eighth graders.

The students normally wear uniforms to school, however, got to wear "gym clothes" on Monday for the hockey session and almost everyone was rocking the red. A handful were even wearing Capitals jerseys.

The Saint James School physical education teacher, Jane Briggs, wrote to the Capitals to express her students interest in hockey and was selected as one of the Hockey Schools. Briggs wanted to "introduce [hockey] to them because it's a game that anyone can play" and she wanted to promote the game which she added to her curriculum.

Caps presented an "Official Capitals Hockey School" banner

The players started the clinic by answering questions from the students. The kids had put in a lot of thought and wrote questions on cards ahead of time. One student asked players, "Who is the best player in hockey?" Chimera said Ovi and Ovi said Chimera which was followed by a lot of laughter and applause from the crowd.

Along with the Caps Amateur Hockey & Fan Development Coordinator, Peter Robinson, Alex and Jason demonstrated basic hockey skills such as stick handling, passing, shooting with the help of Slapshot. As excited as the kids were to see Chimera and Ovi, they went wild for Slapshot!

Students volunteered to get hands on training after each new skill was introduced. Two students even dressed up in goalie gear and protected their net during a scrimmage. It was "boys against girls" and Chimera lead the boys to a 1-0 victory over Ovi and the girls.

After the hockey session, Briggs and several of the other teachers and staff commented on how much fun the students had and thanked the Caps players for coming. Briggs was beaming and said, "It was the best assembly I think I've ever had."

Chimera and Ovechkin with Saint James School Teachers and Staff

As a special treat, fifth graders sang a song for the Capitals and thanking them for coming to their school. 

I'm not sure who had more fun, the students or Alex Ovechkin! Ovi was all smiles.

All of the students who participated in the hockey session received pre-signed autographed player cards from Ovechkin and Chimera as well as Caps soft pucks and Hockey 101 booklets. 

This was the second Capitals Hockey School visit this season. The Capitals host two Hockey School visits each month between September and May and donate street hockey equipment to each participating school. This is the fifth-consecutive year the Capitals have conducted this rewarding program. The Caps have hosted more than 50 clinics and reached more than 7,500 students in the past four years. Hockey School is a free program, designed to be both instructional and interactive, with the goal of exposing students to floor hockey while teaching proper technique.

Equipment donated to school

Additional Photos:

Ovi peeking around the corner before being announced

Chimera introducing himself

Ovi introducing himself and making everyone laugh, including Chimera

Ovi introducing himself

Q&A Session

Q&A Session

Ovi couldn't help himself - kept bouncing the ball on stick

Slapshot

Ovi and Chimera showed how to pass over Slapshot

Chimera and Ovechkin listening to the fifth graders sing

Chimera and Ovechkin with Jane Briggs

Watch video from washcaps.com:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – September 6, 2011

Washington Capitals Charities Donates $25,000 to Potomac Valley Amateur Hockey; 

Alex Ovechkin and Bauer Hockey donate hockey equipment

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Capitals have donated $25,000 to the Potomac Valley Amateur Hockey Association (PVAHA) to help grow the sport of hockey, the Washington Capitals announced at a press event today. In addition, Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin and Bauer Hockey have donated 108 full sets of youth hockey equipment to Kettler Capitals Iceplex and PVAHA.

Alex Ovechkin, Kevin Davis and George McPhee with PVAHA Kids

Washington Capitals Charities has donated $25,000 to PVAHA as part of the John Crerar Development Grant. This marks the third year in a row that the Capitals have donated to the USA Hockey affiliate for programs such as diversity hockey, disabled hockey, cross-ice hockey, Grow the Game programs and the American Development Model. Last year the money was distributed to 15 area hockey programs to increase participation and promote ice hockey within Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Thanks in part to Washington Capitals Charities grants, PVAHA had 1,298 new players during the 2010-11 season, an increase of 26.8% from the season before. To date Washington Capitals Charities has donated $70,000 to PVAHA.

Ted Leonsis, John Coleman, Alex Ovechkin and George McPhee

The John Crerar Hockey Development Grant is funded in part by donations from the Washington Capitals through the Washington Capitals Charities. Created in 2000, Washington Capitals Charities offers unique resources and Caps Care programs to other charities and organizations on behalf of the Capitals. Its mission is to create, maintain and support community programs in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area that encourage participation in hockey, serve to educate youth, assist those who are less fortunate and focus on health and wellness.

The purpose of the John Crerar Hockey Development Grant Program is to assist the member associations within PVAHA to increase participation and promote hockey development within Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia.

Ovechkin, along with Bauer Hockey CEO Kevin Davis, made the announcement at a special ceremony at Kettler Capitals Iceplex on Tuesday, Sept. 6. Approximately 70 kids from clubs in D.C., Maryland and Virginia were joined by PVAHA president John Coleman and affiliate youth hockey growth coordinator Deb Moon at the event. Capitals majority owner and chairman Ted Leonsis as well as vice president and general manager George McPhee were also in attendance.

CEO Bauer Hockey Kevin Davis shaking hands with President of PVAHA John Coleman

Each set of equipment includes elbow, shoulder and shin pads, hockey pants, skates, gloves and sticks with 30 sets of equipment to be donated to Kettler Capitals Iceplex which will use the gear to create a Learn to Play hockey program for underserved children in the Arlington community. The remaining 78 sets of equipment will be distributed by PVAHA to help grow the sport. The Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Club, Hampton Roads Whalers, Harford North Stars, Bowie Hockey Club, Navy Youth Hockey Association, Metro Maple Leafs and Southern Maryland Sabres Hockey Club will all receive donated equipment. Later this month, 108 additional sets of hockey equipment will be donated to the Dynamo youth hockey program in Moscow, Russia.

If the news of Osama Bin Laden's death had leaked about one hour earlier, there would have been about 19,000+ people (most already clad in red, white and blue) who would have joined the celebration in front of the White House. The news definitely took away the sting of the overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in game two of round two.

It was reported on CNN that about 40 local college students gathered in front of the White House and it grew to 200 and kept growing (I have heard numbers up to 4000). After watching President Obama's moving speech and seeing the the celebration grow downtown, a friend and I decided to head down to the White House. It was too historic to miss!

We arrived at approximately 12:15 a.m. and stayed until close to 2:30 a.m. It was an amazing to experience and am so happy with our decision.

Not surprisingly, there were several Caps fans still dressed in team gear and proudly chanting "USA!!" with the masses.  Here are a few photos of some Caps fans for your entertainment.

Caps fan climbed one of the lightposts with a flag.

At least someone wears their Caps foam hockey hat! LOL.

Guy in front with Caps hat

Girl in Ovi jersey

Guy on left was wearing a Varly Winter Classic jersey

My favorite shot of the night

At about 1:30 a.m.

Photos 2011© Cheryl Nichols Photography. All Rights Reserved.

The Washington Capitals' playoff beards continue to grow…….

You can get started today and join the fun. Grow a beard to show your team loyalty as well as help raise money for charity. If you don't want to actually grow a beard, feel free to pledge a fan and watch the beards grow! Click to join the Beard-A-Thon now!.

Please support Dave of Caps News Network and check his beard growth here.

Updated photos from Round Two, Game One of 2011 Playoff Beards/Scruff:

Jason Arnott

Mike Green (bonus: healing black eye)

Matt Hendricks

Ovi's goatee and Alzner's beard

Scott Hannan

Jeff Schultz

Brooks Laich

Marcus Johansson

Eric Fehr

Boyd Gordon

Matt Bradley

John Erskine

Jason Chimera

Nicklas Backstrom (there is a little bit there!)

Marco Sturm (Bonus: Spit)

All Photos 2011 © Cheryl Nichols Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Photos from Round 1, Game 1-2 - Click here.

Photos from Round 1, Game 5 - Click here.