Hockey Fights Cancer raised nearly $131,000. (Caps Outsider)
When the Capitals tanked in the 2003-04 season, then drafted Alex Ovechkin, it not only gave the team and its fans a shot in the arm that is still being felt today, but it also gradually led to more charitable donations across the region, helping countless people and organizations.
The Caps recently announced that they raised more than $2.5 million for charity this past season. The list of recipients is longer than ever and there’s rarely a moment that they’re not raising money for someone, somewhere. They’re doing this on top of running a business, and its success of late has been given a huge boost to the charities.
Granted, much of the money raised isn’t from their pocket, but from fans. At a minimum, the Caps can get Alex Ovechkin to sign a puck (with the puck’s cost being eligible for a tax write-off), and that puck can sell to a bidder for a couple of hundred dollars, which will go to a local charity (even the bidder can write that donation off in taxes.) This isn’t the same as, say, the Gates Foundation donating that money directly to a charity. But all of this is okay – it’s how it’s done in this business.
What’s changed over the last 15 years is the size of those checks. That $2.5 million would be half as much, if not less, as fans wouldn’t be willing to dish out so much money if the team was frequently losing. And it’s not just money they’re donating, but time. Players visiting hospitals and skating with sick kids doesn’t exactly have a dollar sign attached. Priceless, I suppose.
Basically, because Ovechkin is scoring 50 goals a season, because Braden Holtby is one of the best goaltenders in the league, and because Nick Backstrom is one of the best passers in the league, the Human Rights Campaign got an $18,300 check that otherwise wouldn’t have happened, the DC Children’s Advocacy Center got a $20,000 check, Homeward Trails Animal Rescue earned $177,000 selling calendars, and far more examples listed below.
Of course, winning the Stanley Cup last year gave this past season an extra boost, but the numbers were trending upward regardless. Lets see if the Caps can keep it up next season.
See the complete list on www.monumentalfoundation.org:
KaBOOM! Design Day
Wish Experience
Casino Night $404,428
Hockey Fights Cancer $131,000
So Kids Can $60,000
Black Girl Hockey Club
Wish Upon A Par $100,000
Military Night $57,350
Fort Dupont $18,000
Caps and TAPS
Pride Auction $18,300
USA Warriors Standing Tournament
Congressional Hockey Challenge $200,000
College Hockey Combine & Fair
Coaches Day
Captain’s Brunch
Learn to Play
Washington Capitals Alumni Association Scholarship $25,000
Hockey Schools: The Capitals hosted 42 Hockey Schools throughout the region during the 2018-19 season, reaching more than 5,200 children.
BCPS Partnership
MCPS Partnership
Blazers Auction $20,000 for Safe Shores – The DC Children’s Advocacy Center
MSE Foundation Grants
DC Central Kitchen, Friends of Fort Dupont Ice Arena, KaBOOM!, Leveling the Playing Field, Martha’s Table, Playworks of Greater Washington, Positive Coaching Alliance, Potomac Valley Amateur Hockey Association and Up2Us Sports.
Community Drives
The Capital’s fall Food Drive supported by Giant saw 668 pounds of food donated, equivalent to 556 meals. The team’s December toy drive resulted in 1,100 toys and nearly $1,000 in donations.
Holiday Card Auction
First Responders
In advance of the Capital’s First Responders Night in January, the Capitals hosted police and fire officials at a practice. Following practice, they were invited to take a photograph with the team. A portion of the game’s proceeds benefited the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
Canine Causes $177,000 for Homeward Trails Animal Rescue
Forty Three’s Friends
Tom Wilson donated four tickets per game across 20 games to Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic children and their families.
Dowd’s Crowd
Nic Dowd, along with his wife, Paige, donated tickets to select games to families affiliated with Autism Speaks. The families were given sensory kits at the game, designed to support individuals with sensory needs.
Let’s also not forget the Inova Blood Drives, which isn’t even listed here but still reaping the benefits of the team’s success.
More charity from this past season:
Connolly, Stephenson, Dowd and Copley Join Holiday Party With Local Families
