Monumental Sports & Entertainment Announces Pregame Ceremony Elements ahead of Capital Hockey Classic – Monumental Sports

Double-header college hockey showcase featuring Army, Navy, and Penn State taking place at Capital One Arena tomorrow night  

Washington, D.C. (December 11, 2024) – Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE) announced today several high-profile participants in the ceremonial puck drop ahead of the inaugural Capital Hockey Classic, presented by Google for Government, taking place at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. tomorrow night. The college hockey double header is set to feature matchups between Army and Navy’s club hockey teams starting at 5 PM, followed by Army and Penn State’s Division I programs facing off at 8 PM. 

Lieutenant General Joseph Berger and Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy Marcie McLaughlin will participate in the ceremonial puck drop before the Army-Navy club hockey game, and Lieutenant General Steve Gilland will take part in the ceremony before the Division I matchup. 

The Capital Hockey Classic precedes a major collegiate rivalry weekend in the D.C. region, taking place days before the annual Army-Navy Game presented by USAA at Northwest Stadium on Saturday. 

Tickets for the Capital Hockey Classic start at $20 and are available for purchase here. The event is ticketed as single-entry with both games included in the admission price. Fans at home can watch the second game of the doubleheader between Army and Penn State on MNMT2, Monumental Sports Network’s (MNMT) overflow channel, or stream via the Monumental+ app.  

Marking the return of college hockey to Capital One Arena, the Capital Hockey Classic is one of several programming highlights around the Washington Capitals 50th Anniversary season and a testament to the Capitals’ commitment to growing and improving the game of hockey in the DMV region.  

In October, the NCAA announced that the 2027 Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship (commonly known as the “Frozen Four”) will be held at Capital One Arena. Capital One Arena previously hosted the 2009 NCAA Frozen Four, won by Boston University. 

The Capitals offer a robust lineup of on- and off-ice youth hockey programming, including a Future Caps Learn to Play program, ALL CAPS ALL HER, a Hockey School program, Try Ball Hockey for Free, and more. In addition, the Capitals also annually host a College Hockey Combine & Fair as a free opportunity for high school aged hockey players throughout the Washington, D.C., region to showcase their on-ice and off-ice talents, as well as learn about the different avenues and opportunities in college hockey. To date the organization has also refurbished or built 14 ball hockey rinks across Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia. USA Hockey registration of adult and youth players across Washington, D.C., Virginia and Maryland currently totals 21,975 individuals, of which 12,801 are youth players. 

The Capitals are also proud to support high school hockey throughout the Washington, D.C., region. There are currently 4,718 players and 807 coaches among 227 teams in the DMV area. In addition to highlighting local high school teams throughout the season, the Capitals also support high school hockey through the Capitals Cup High School Hockey Championship. Each league receives support from Capitals Youth Hockey and the winners receive custom medals. The Capitals host league information, team pages, stats, standings, and more for all eight local High School Hockey leagues at CapitalsCup.com. 

Additional information about the Capital Hockey Classic can be found here. 

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About Monumental Sports & Entertainment
Monumental Sports & Entertainment is America’s leading sports and entertainment family. Our people, players, teams and events bring excitement and joy to millions. We invest and innovate to consistently raise the game so we can deliver extraordinary experiences that will inspire and unite our community, our fans and our people. To learn more, please visit https://monumentalsports.com/.