Caps Rock the 2014 Casino Night
Casino Night 2014 (All Photos Credit: M. Richter)
For the fourth year, the Caps dressed up to take on all-comers at the gaming tables for charity in the 2014 Caps Casino Night (& Auction). For the price of a mid-level playoff ticket, fans could walk into the Pentagon City Sheraton and schmooze with their local men-in-red. For a bit more, they also got access to the special VIP social hour held during the first hour of the event.
The event itself was a straightforward affair, combining mix-and-mingle around the tables (Poker, Blackjack, Roulette), a silent auction for Caps memorabilia (including a team-autographed guitar which sold for $2600 and a Team Sweden Backstrom jersey which brought in $1300), and a live auction for experiences with members of the team and organization.
The top earner for the night was a segway tour next fall with Alzner, Backstrom, Grabovski, Kuznetsov, Orlov, and the Great 8 Alex Ovechkin, himself. After a fierce bidding war, it eventually went for a whopping $8100. What’s arguably more impressive is that a dinner for 10 cooked by Mike Isabella and featuring Brooks Laich and Troy Brouwer as guests in the winning bidder’s kitchen.
If you spent money tonight – on a ticket, silent auction item, or if you went all out and won one of the eight live experiences – you can feel virtuous. All proceeds from the evening go to the Monumental Sports Entertainment Foundation, the organization that’s replaced the Caps Care organization. While the name has changed, the recipients of the programs remain the same – initiatives like the Caps@School program, donations to groups like the Capital Area Food Bank and Fort Dupont Ice Arena’s youth hockey.
The fact that all funds will be going to the charity is the exception to the rule when it comes to Caps gear auctions – when you bid on an item up for auction on the Verizon Center concourse, the sales are handled by the team’s marketing department, so only a portion of the proceeds go to charity. Tonight, upwards of $50,000 was raised for MSEF, with $40,500 coming from the eight live experiences in the end of the night auction (Update: Official quotes put the night’s take closer to $300,000 – great job, Caps fans!).
Below, you’ll find an assortment of photos from the evening.