The Washington Capitals will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month by hosting a Hispanic Heritage Night on Tuesday, October 14, during the home game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Capital One Arena. The day will include community events, specialty merchandise, and in-game programming.
District E, the live-event space adjacent to Capital One Arena, is hosting a free and open-to-the-public block party with Latin-inspired food and drinks. The event will feature DJ Melina’s Goza, a women-led event series that highlights Latin and Afro-Caribbean traditions through music and performance.
Tickets purchased through a special ticket package online include a seat at the game and a limited-edition Los Capitals hat, with a logo designed by Salvadoran artist Josue Martinez. The logo honors several different Hispanic cultures with elements like the alebrije, mal de ojo, and marigold flowers. It has been used in Capitals programming throughout the month.
Supporting DC-Area Families
This year, the Monumental Sports and Entertainment Foundation, the charitable arm of the hockey team, will present a $10,000 grant to the Latino Student Fund (LSF) on Hispanic Heritage Night. LSF is a non-profit organization dedicated to underserved youth and families in the Hispanic and Latin communities surrounding the DC area. Through tutoring, mentoring, and college access programs, LSF provides personalized support to help students achieve academic success.
Along with block parties and donations, the Capitals have celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month by partnering with local organizations like the San Miguel School and Latin American Youth Center to host youth hockey clinics since 2019.
This year, the organization hosted nearly 100 students and staff from DC Public Schools’ Columbia Heights Education Campus at MedStar Capitals Iceplex for a Rink Pass and Pathways to Sports event on October 6. The event introduced students from the Academy of Hospitality and Tourism to career paths in sports with an expert panel and a skating class.
Rink Pass gives students the opportunity to engage with hockey outside of their schools’ physical education classes through field trips to their local ice rinks and ball hockey rinks. The program is a part of Monumental Sports and Entertainment’s District of Play initiative, a multi-million-dollar commitment to expanding access to sports for children in DC.
In previous years, the Capitals also worked with nonprofit organizations like Tickets for Kids Charities to gift donated tickets to kids and families who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford to attend a game.
Feature image courtesy Megan Eichenberg
