Capital One Arena is set for an overhaul after Ted Leonsis It reached an agreement on a $515 million settlement with the city of D.C. in late March.
Leonsis, founder, president and CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, recently sat down with FOX 5’s Steve Chenevy to get an update on the building’s renovation process and shared some insights into what exactly the construction plans entail. Part of the talk revolved around how the team could choose to honor some of the all-time greats to play for the franchises that inhabit the downtown stadium.
“I think we’re planning some cool things as a way to pay tribute to the players on all of our teams,” Leonsis said. “Statues, walls of honor, rings of honor – we now have the opportunity to do advanced planning and take advantage of them. And we have great players: Peter Bondras, Olie Kolzigs. “There are some really fantastic players that we have to recognize.”
Bondra, perhaps the most impactful forward in Capitals history before Alex Ovechkin was drafted by the club in 2004, has been waiting quite some time for recognition from the franchise he once consistently led in goals. The Slovak sharpshooter retired after the 2006-07 NHL season and had been away from the Caps since he was traded by the team in 2004.
The former eighth-round Draft pick put together a resume worthy of honor for both the Capitals and the NHL. Bondra finished his career with 503 goals, five All-Star appearances, two 50-goal seasons and led the league in goals twice before the Rocket Richard Trophy was implemented. He is also one of 48 players in league history to score five or more goals in a single game.
Kolzig joined Bondra to lead the Capitals to their only Stanley Cup Final appearance (1998) before the team returned victorious in 2018. No goaltender in franchise history has more appearances (711), wins (301) and saves (18,013). , or bleached (35) than Kolzig. In franchise history, only Kolzig, Braden Holtby and Jim Carey have taken home the Vezina Trophy for the league’s best goaltender.
The South African-born goaltender also made two All-Star Game appearances, being named to the NHL First All-Star Team in 2000 and winning the King Clancy Memorial Trophy in 2006. Since retiring, he has been a goalie and player. Capitals development coach.
Leonsis has previously preached patience when fans clamored for Bondra and Kolzig to be honored. The last player to have his number retired by the Capitals was Mike Gartner, who saw his number 11 raised to the rafters on December 28, 2008.
The Capitals will need to have many more such discussions in the coming years as franchise legends Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Braden Holtby, John Carlson and TJ Oshie conclude their careers. The stadium renovations, which Leonsis estimates could take five years to complete, allow the club to plan how to celebrate its stars in the most appropriate way.
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