ARLINGTON, V.A. — The Washington Capitals reported to MedStar Capitals Iceplex on Tuesday dressed to the nines not for the start of the regular season, but something just as special.
On their scheduled day off, players made their way to the rink to spend time with their dogs and several local cats and dogs from Wolf Trap Animal Rescue and pose for the annual "Capitals Canine Calendar."
Washington and Wolf Trap Animal Rescue have been teaming up for years to promote their mission, and Tom Wilson and his wife, Taylor, who helped coordinate the photoshoot along with Mikkayla Lindgren and other players' wives, are just two of several members of the organization who volunteer with the rescue over the course of the season.
"You see the love from the volunteers and the people that work there. They really care about every single animal and their mission is to just save as many dogs and pets as they can," Wilson, whose seven-year-old dog, Halle, is from WTAR, said, adding, "It's such a great cause for us to put some money towards.
"I was by no means the first person to do this. There were years before me that the dog calendar was going on, and the organizations have changed over the years, but the guys have always shown up and were there for the cause," he added.
It was also an important day for Pierre-Luc Dubois, who was excited to give back after having rescued one of his dogs, Frank, through Wolf Trap. Fittingly, Dubois posed with his dogs, Frank and Georgia, and two of his former roommates in Ryan Leonard and Cole Hutson.
"His name was Braden Holtby, we had to change that," he joked, adding, "Two weeks turned into two years, it was pretty easy to see (him fit in). He's a cute dog, fits in with the other two."
Newcomers Alex Tuch, Boone Jenner, Jordan Kyrou and Vincent Desharnais were also excited to get in on the action, as Tuch and Jenner posed their dogs, Teddy and Harley, while Kyrou and Desharnais bonded with several of the rescue animals.
"It's awesome. We've got a lot of dog owners on the team, and us helping in any way we can, I think, is really big," Tuch, who wore his suit dedicated to his golden retriever, Teddy, to the shoot, said. "Using our image (to) connect with people who sometimes see us as hockey players, being able to connect with them on a personal level is huge and raises awareness for a great cause."
Tuch is one of three golden retriever owners on the team, joining Dylan Strome, who came to the shoot with Ollie and Benny, and Dylan McIlrath, who showed up with Scooter.
Justin Sourdif also paid a visit to the shoot with his five-month old French bulldog, Fufu, who got along well with Anthony Beauvillier's dog, Bean. Jakob Chychrun also posed with his Cane Corso, Bruce, and spent some quality time with some of the rescues.
The shoot ended with Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren posing together with their respective rescue dogs, Libby and Riley.
The calendars come out later in the fall, with proceeds benefiting Wolf Trap Animal Rescue and MSE Foundation.
"I encourage people if they've never had a pet, if they've had a pet or they're sitting at home and worried about opening that emotional journey again, just go do it," Wilson said. "There's lots of dogs that need you and it's such a beautiful circle for both parties involved."
