Washington Capitals, PGCPS to make hockey more accessible to DC area kids

CAPITOL HEIGHTS, Md. (7News) — Prince George's County has another school, this one specializing in hockey.

The Washington Capitals and Prince George's County Public Schools opened the Capitals Hockey School program recently. The new partnership will introduce and provide a chance for the county's 93,460 students to learn and play the sport in 167 elementary, middle, and charter schools.

"Our goal was to grow the game of hockey and provide access to the sport. Hockey is a unique sport, in terms of having diversity of the sport, in different forms of the game. Ball hockey, in-line hockey, ice hockey, and then diversity within the sport, the participants that play the game," said Peter Robinson, Capitals director of youth hockey development.

The team hosted the initial clinic Thursday introducing hockey skills like stickhandling, passing, and shooting for third through fifth graders at Capitol Heights Elementary School.

The program reaches 1,052,294 students across 1,601 schools in the Maryland, Virginia, and Washington D.C. area.

"This is a really special day for the NHL and NHLPA to reach this 1 million stick-in-hand. The Capitals and Peter (Robinson) are leaders in this, we have 32 NHL teams, and these guys have set the tone for how clubs should operate, this is the blueprint," said Matt Herr, NHL senior director of youth hockey and industry growth.

Through the program, hockey equipment including sticks, nets, balls, and pucks are donated by the Capitals to each school. In turn, the physical education. teachers receive a standardized curriculum following SHAPE America's national requirements.

"It's all about exposing the kids to something different. We go through life knowing what we know, experiencing what our, 9 times out of 10, what our parents have experienced. But, when we have the opportunity to give our kids something other than basketball, football, baseball; it's really good, there are other things out there in the world, there are other opportunities. Hopefully, that will spark something that will cause them to want to play hockey and then have additional opportunities beyond school," said Shawna Berry, Capitol Heights Elementary School Principal.

The Capitals and NHL have invested more than $3.5 million toward the development of youth hockey in the region.