Capital One Arena is undergoing massive renovations over the next few years, and no one may be more happy than visiting hockey players.
According to an anonymous 111-player poll conducted by The Athletic’s NHL staff, the Capitals were voted to have the third-worst facilities for opposing teams.
“By far the worst,” one player said. “It’s the smallest room ever and a million degrees in there. I hate playing there.”
The mention isn’t the first time that the Capitals’ visiting digs have been criticized in an anonymous poll. In 2019, ESPN’s Emily Kaplan polled 50 NHL players about the worst road locker rooms, and 42 percent of respondents answered Washington.
“Washington’s showers are so bad,” one NHLer said then. “They’re like a prison shower. There’s a pole in the middle, then just spews that come out of that one pole. Not that I care if someone is showering next to me, but it’s just a really weird setup.”
Monumental Sports & Entertainment revealed detailed plans for the upcoming arena renovations in December, and there is wording about locker room enhancements in “Phase 2” of their construction schedule. The second phase is planned to start this summer after the Capitals and Wizards wrap up their respective regular seasons.
The only locker rooms rated worse in the recent poll are in Carolina’s Lenovo Center and Calgary’s Scotiabank Saddledome. Calgary at least has the excuse of playing in the second-oldest arena in the NHL, behind Madison Square Garden. The Lenovo Center, opened in 1999, is tied for the 12th-newest arena.
The survey’s major complaints about Carolina’s room center around the very cramped space and lack of areas to warm up or prepare for games. Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy filmed a video tour of the Hurricanes’ visiting room last year, which showed those conditions.
The other Capitals-related responses in the poll were all positive. Washington was not among the 16 teams listed as the club players would put first on their no-trade list.
Spencer Carbery, Washington’s head coach, was also voted 11th most popular when players were asked which coach they would most like to play for besides their current coach.
