There have been several Capitals alumni games, but Yvon Labre and Alan May took a second look at their opponents in Sunday’s Hockey 4 Hope charity match against the USA Warriors.
“I was talking to one of the guys with artificial limbs, and he was skating just as good as the rest of us… It was overwhelming when they were introduced and they came out to skate with us,” May said.
While several amputees play sled hockey, these military veterans had to learn how to skate all over again upon getting their artificial legs.
So, how did they fare against the Caps?
“They can shoot!” Labre said. “They surprised me. Some of them were really, really good, and I was impressed with their skill.”
Game video and Caps notes after the jump.
Other notes from the event:
Peter Bondra seemed determined to score goals in every way possible, whether hiding the puck in his jersey and shaking it out into the net while playing against children, or disregarding the offsides rule.
Joe Reekie tripped a guy on a breakaway, tripped him again on the ensuing penalty shot, got into a shouting match with fans over the incident, declined a fight with the Naval Academy alum who he tripped, and insisted on getting all three stars of the game. On a separate penalty shot, the Caps alum threw their sticks into the player’s path.
Sylvain Cote participated in the game against the kids and the Warriors, but had to leave before the game against the Naval Academy.
Rod Langway attended the benefit but cannot play due to his knees. Craig Laughlin was on the roster for the Caps but we learned that his hips are in bad shape and he’ll be requiring surgery soon. Laughlin did, however, show up for his Network hockey event later in the day.
At one point after the game, Gordie Lane was thought to have lost the locker room key and Alan May way locked out. Staff eventually found the key and Lane was off the hook.
Bruce Boudreau made an appearance, but had no idea about the Caps alumni game. Instead, he fiddled with the television remote control and watched the Masters as fans kept approaching him for autographs and pictures. Like Boudreau, George McPhee was there for family reasons.
See photos from the event in our previous post.
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Bonus videos by Caps fan Benjamin Christensen on Page 2.
