Participants at the Washington Capitals’ “ALL CAPS ALL HER” Summer Hockey Camp received a surprise visit from a big-time guest on Wednesday.
Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery took the ice with dozens of local youth female hockey players at Capitals MedStar Iceplex, giving a pep talk and handing out fist bumps.
Carbery jumped back on the ice at the team’s practice rink just over a month ahead of when the Capitals are expected to begin their training camp ahead of the 2025-26 season. The third-year head coach will be looking to help the club repeat as the best team in the NHL’s Eastern Conference.
Both of Carbery’s kids, including his daughter Vivian, play hockey. Carbery has had both of them on the ice after select Capitals practices.
According to the Caps’ website, the “ALL CAPS ALL HER” initiative aims “to provide access to hockey and elevate the game for women and girls in the Washington D.C. area, while recognizing and supporting female players, coaches, parents, advocates, and leaders in the community.”
The team offers “four pillars” of access to the game of hockey for female, non-binary, transgender, and gender fluid individuals wanting to get involved, including adult and youth camps, coach and referee development, professional development and networking, and “families of hockey.”
The Capitals have championed getting more girls and women involved in the sport. They hired Emily Engel-Natzke as their video coach in 2022, making her the first woman ever to hold a full-time NHL coaching position.
