A Fond Farewell For Cooley From Caps Fans

Chris Cooley prepares to take on Fred Davis in the tricycle race between periods at Verizon Center. (Screen grab from NHL Network video)

Recently cut Redskin Chris Cooley will be missed miles from FedEx Field by Caps fans at Verizon Center who were frequently treated to visits from the fan favorite tight end. I was there the night Chris Cooley and Fred Davis competed in a tricycle race between periods. They both cheated terribly – I’ve never seen fans laugh so hard.

DC area athletes coming out to support one another is a growing trend, and a positive one. It’s a sign of a tight community, indicating that players aren’t just connected to their team and their sport, but feel some broader or deeper attachment to DC. It’s no coincidence that players who make this a priority tend to be fan favorites. Caps fans visit Nats games and Redskins games, and it’s great to see the favor returned – in Cooley’s case, many times over.

I already mentioned the March 2010 tricycle race, but here are a few of Cooley’s other greatest hits with the Caps:

• Cooley and his wife Christy participated in a tradition you either love or hate (please say you hate it) when they were caught on the Kiss Cam in January 2009.
• We’re used to seeing Caps players talk shop in the locker room, but Cooley joined the crowd to talk hockey and football in March 2009 (video below).
• Alex Ovechkin and Cooley hung out behind the scenes during Ovie’s Eastern Motors video shoot. It’s fair to say they were a little goofy.
• In October 2009, Cooley joined the media in the Caps locker room, interviewing players for his blog.

Thanks to Chris Cooley for his longstanding support of the Caps (and for getting pretty much every other Redskins tight end from the last eight years to come to a game.) We wish him all the best.