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Free Pucks, Sticks, Burgers and Pizza

capitals_giveaway_pucksFor several seasons, back in the late 80s and early 90s, my family made it a tradition to attend the Capitals game the night before Thanksgiving at the Capital Center. We not only got to see our favorite players, like Rod Langway and Dale Hunter, but we also got free Caps pucks after the game. The other must-attend-for-the-giveaway game was New Years Day, when they gave free hockey sticks to the kids under 16.

There were other bonuses, too. We got a Bob’s Big Boy burger coupon when the Caps pitched a shutout, and a Jerry’s pizza coupon when Washington scored six goals, which usually happened in the third period as the fans chanted ‘Pizza! Pizza!’

I still have many of those free Capitals pucks. The sticks broke, but only after many games of street hockey with friends, which eventually led to the tennis court games on roller blades, which then led to the adult leagues. My family always headed to Bob’s Big Boy for the burgers, and you can be certain that we also went to Jerry’s for the pizza.

Now, it’s bobbleheads, schedule magnets, and a few chicken wings with 5 goals, which just isn’t the same as free pucks and sticks. But hey, now we’ve got Alex Ovechkin to root for, right?

Happy Thanksgiving from Capitals Outsider.

Ben Sumner

Ben Sumner is the editor of Capitals Outsider. He also works for The Washington Post and contributes there when he gets a scoop.

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