Before the start of the 2022-23 NHL season, we sat down with Washington Capitals center and Arlington resident Nic Dowd, 32, to discuss everything from his contract extension to his family’s favorite spots in NoVA.
Last year, you signed a three-year extension with the team. Why did you want to stay?
I think a lot of things go into that. It’s nice to have a little stability in your life. Pro sports are just on the move, all the time. I mean, we come back to Minnesota in the summer, we go to Virginia in the winter, we’re traveling a lot, and I have a 2-year-old and another kid on the way. Obviously, you can get traded at any point, but the stability of knowing, as much as you can, that you’re going to be in the same location for as long as your contract goes is nice. I think it’s nice for your family and your wife to understand that, too, and for everyone to feel comfortable. A lot that goes into it, too, is that we just really, really like Arlington, and Washington, DC, as a place to live.
You previously played for the Kings and the Canucks. What’s the major difference between West Coast, Canadian, and DC fans?
I would actually say that the West Coast fans in LA were great. They were people that enjoyed hockey, laid-back individuals though. The greatest thing about LA and DC is that I find that our fans love us when we win. They’re a little indifferent when we lose. Vancouver, that’s a different animal. I was only there for a little bit. Canadians love their hockey, and I think they expect a lot out of the organization.
What was your reaction to the signing of Darcy Kuemper?
Obviously, I wish Sammy and Vitek well … but, it’s great. I think it’s funny, too, because I know both — I played with Darcy in LA for a little bit. And then Charlie Lindgren, who they’ve signed as the backup, I played at St. Cloud State with him as well. I think anytime you can bring in some new players and guys are excited to be part of the organization, that’s really beneficial. Darcy obviously has a Stanley Cup and a great track record. I know Chuck really well, really good human and really good athlete, good player, so I think those two will make a really good fit.
What are some of your favorite spots to visit in NoVA?
Now that we have Louie, we go to a ton of parks. We love going down to Ballston and checking it out down there. They have a lot of great coffee shops. Northside Social is one of our favorite ones. We love going down to The Italian Store. We love all the little neighborhoods that are in Arlington. We do take Louie quite a bit to Gravelly Point, where we can watch the airplanes take off and land. He loves that. So we do that quite a bit and take advantage of all the parks.
And what about your dog, Arlo?
We love Lacey Park, even though it’s a no-dog park. It’s just a nice area to walk around. We do play fetch in there even though there’s signs up that say don’t do it, but we sneak in there from time to time. Zachary Taylor Park, we go there quite a bit. They have a creek that runs down the middle of it, which is great. Our dog is like an absolute animal when it comes to water. Arlo comes with us basically everywhere.
This story originally ran in our October issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to our monthly magazine.
