Though Nic Dowd's tenure with the Washington Capitals came to an end in March, he's still making an impact in the D.C. area.
During Dowd's eight-year tenure with Washington, he and his wife, Paige, started Dowd's Crowd, which provides children with autism spectrum disorder and other sensory processing needs the opportunity to attend and enjoy live hockey games.
Paige and Kodette LaBarbera also founded "The Assist" sensory kit, which includes a Bauer drawstring backpack, a foam puck, noise-cancelling headphones, sunglasses, a fidget toy, activity sheets, crayons, hand wipes, tissues, a social story and a stuffed animal, that reduces sensory overloads, including loud noises and bright, flashing lights, associated with live sports venues. They are free for fans at Guest Services.
The Dowds donated $30,000 in proceeds that Dowd's Crowd raised over the years to two different local organizations supporting children with sensory needs and their families.
They made one donation to KultureCity, which will help fund a new sensory room and additional sensory bags for Capital One Arena, which is currently undergoing renovations, and made another to So Kids SOAR, supporting adaptive sports programming for children with physical and developmental disabilities. Dowd and Charlie Lindgren's foundation, Lindy's Lineup, both hosted a combined skate with So Kids SOAR last season.
“I think the biggest thing we’ve taken away so far is that it’s allowed the parents of the children and the children to enjoy a night out," Dowd told the NHLPA in 2022. "The kids really seem to enjoy the game. We also give them the Dowd’s Crowd kit that has some sensory stuff in there, which makes the game a little bit easier for them. If the lights or the noise is over-stimulating, there are products in there that allow them to deal with that stress if that occurs... We want to make it a welcoming environment for the kids and everyone that comes.”
