One of the Washington Capitals’ more popular charitable initiatives is back.
Tuesday, the Capitals released special 50th Anniversary season Courage Caps. The hats are available for $30 each and can be purchased online via the Capitals website. Sales benefit TAPS, an organization that provides comfort and care to those grieving the loss of a military or veteran loved one.
The 2024-25 design is inspired by the team’s old school jersey design, featuring five stars and the word Courage embroidered on the front. The Capitals’ 50th anniversary logo stitched on the side. The red bill also features five white stars along the right.
The Capitals’ Courage campaign, which first began during the 2007-08 season, has raised nearly $1 million for charity through the sale of more than 28,000 Courage hats in nine years.
To help promote today’s launch, Capitals coaches, including Spencer Carbery, wore Courage Caps during the team’s morning skate at MedStar Capitals Iceplex. The Capitals play the Calgary Flames later tonight.
TAPS families hosted at the February 1 Capitals-Jets game were the first to get the new hats, getting surprised by Nicklas Backstrom and TJ Oshie in a suite. Capitals alumni Calle Johansson and Olie Kolzig also joined the families during the night.
Here’s the full press release from the Capitals:
Capitals and MSE Foundation Announce Special 50th Anniversary Edition Courage Caps Presented by Telos Corporation Now Available
Proceeds benefit Tragedy Assistance Program For Survivors (TAPS)
ARLINGTON, VA – Special 50th Anniversary edition Courage Caps presented by Telos Corporation will go on sale beginning Tuesday, Feb. 25, the Washington Capitals and Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation announced today. Courage Caps are specialty branded Washington Capitals hats that are sold to benefit Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS). Telos Corporation returns as the presenting sponsor of the Courage Caps campaign.
“Courage Caps are back, and all of us at the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors are profoundly grateful,” said Bonnie Carroll, TAPS Founder and President. “More than a decade ago, the Courage Caps campaign became the powerful starting point of Monumental Sports & Entertainment and MSE Foundation’s unwavering dedication to the families of our fallen heroes. To be part of their 50th Anniversary Legacy is not just an honor – it’s a testament to the lives we continue to remember and the love that endures. Through this incredible partnership, we’ve been able to bring surviving families to games, offer moments of joy and healing and connect them with the players who wear their hearts on their sleeves in support of our heroes. Every Courage Cap sold isn’t just a symbol – it’s a lifeline, with 100% of the proceeds directly supporting TAPS programs for the surviving families in our community who carry the weight of unimaginable loss with immeasurable strength.”
The 2024-25 Courage Caps feature the word Courage embroidered across the front of the hat. The Capitals’ 50th Anniversary logo is also featured on the side of the hat in honor of the team’s historic season. In addition, the hat features the special 50th Anniversary red and blue color scheme.
For the ninth season, TAPS is honored to be the beneficiary of Courage Caps. As a nonprofit organization, TAPS provides comfort and care to those grieving the loss of a military or veteran loved one. Proceeds from the sale of Courage Caps will support TAPS’ mission, helping to fund peer-based emotional support, regional seminars for adults, Good Grief Camps for children, casework assistance, grief and trauma resources, and a 24/7 Helpline for bereaved military families.
“Telos is proud to continue our support of TAPS through the 2025 Courage Caps campaign,” said John B. Wood, CEO and chairman of Telos Corporation. “We deeply appreciate the dedication of the Washington Capitals and Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation in supporting the families of our fallen military heroes. Their commitment to TAPS makes a profound difference in the lives of those who have sacrificed so much for our country.”
Courage Caps will be sold for $30 online at WashCaps.com/Courage, at the Washington Capitals Team Store at MedStar Capitals Iceplex and at the Team Store and at stands throughout Capital One Arena during Capitals home games.
Since the program’s launched during the 2007-08 season, the Courage campaign has raised nearly $1 million for charity through the sale of more than 28,000 Courage hats in nine years.
On Feb. 1, the Capitals and MSE Foundation hosted TAPS families in a suite during the Capitals vs. Jets game to kick off this season’s Courage Caps campaign. Capitals players Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie surprised the families, spending time with them and distributing Courage Caps. Capitals alumni Calle Johansson and Olie Kolzig also surprised the families by stopping by the suite, along with Capitals mascot Slapshot.
About TAPS
TAPS is the national nonprofit organization providing compassionate care and comprehensive resources to all those grieving a death in the military and veteran community. TAPS was founded by military-loss survivor Bonnie Carroll, in 1994. TAPS – which, in the last 30 years, has become synonymous with 24/7, lifelong support for all grieving a military or veteran death — provides resources during each step of a survivor’s walk through grief with a combination of peer-based support, the 24/7 National Military Survivor Helpline, in-person events, community-based care, casework assistance, and grief and trauma resources. The TAPS mission has touched more than 100,000 survivors, casualty assistance officers, chaplains, and bereavement supporters since its founding. For more information, please visit TAPS.org or call 800-959-TAPS (8277).
About Telos Corporation
Telos Corporation (NASDAQ: TLS) empowers and protects the world’s most security-conscious organizations with solutions for continuous security assurance of individuals, systems, and information. Telos’ offerings include cybersecurity solutions for IT risk management and information security; cloud security solutions to protect cloud-based assets and enable continuous compliance with industry and government security standards; and enterprise security solutions for identity and access management, secure mobility, organizational messaging, and network management and defense. The company serves commercial enterprises, regulated industries and government customers around the world.
