Youth hockey participation around DC has jumped 37% since Ovechkin joined the Capitals in '05GETTY IMAGES
Capitals LW Alex Ovechkin has "helped spur a hockey boom" in the DC area since he joined the team in '05, according to Rachel Bachman of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. Youth hockey participation in DC, Virginia and Maryland has "jumped 37%" during that time, which "far surpasses the 4% gain for youth hockey nationwide." Fanatics statistics show that Ovechkin "ranks among the top five players in merchandise sales this season," and he is "third for youth merchandise," behind only Penguins C Sidney Crosby and Oilers C Connor McDavid. Girls hockey in the DC area also has "surged ... more than doubling to 2,653 players" in '17-18. USA Hockey said that adult participation in DC has "grown even faster than youth leagues in recent years, nearly tripling in size since Ovechkin’s arrival." The youth numbers are "still larger overall, and more striking because they counter the nationwide trend of fewer young people playing sports" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 6/2).
BASK IN THE MOMENT: USA TODAY's Erik Brady noted the National Portrait Gallery is "taking a star turn of its own" this postseason. The gallery "quietly makes the case that Washington is muted museum lighting and the permanence of history," but after playoff victories the outside of the gallery "becomes a focal point of provincial pride." These days, the museum steps are where Caps fans "go to bask in glory when their Capitals come out on top" (USATODAY.com, 6/3). In DC, Jesse Dougherty wrote for Capitals fans this is the "moment they have all been waiting for" (WASHINGTON POST, 6/2). NBCSN’s Anson Carter said of hockey’s popularity in DC, “It’s a good example about the power of sport with people. It’s not just about winning and losing, but sports’ ability to bring communities together and bring individuals together” (“NHL Live,” NBCSN, 6/2).
