WASHINGTON — The Washington Capitals will honor the Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Club, also known as the Cannons, and the godfather of hockey, Neal Henderson during a special Black History Month celebration on Monday.
Henderson and the Cannons are part of the NHL's "Hockey is for Everyone" program. The Fort Dupont squad is the oldest minority hockey program in North America. Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Club, founded in 1978 by Henderson, is a developmental program that provides local and inner-city youth with the opportunity to participate in an organized ice hockey program. The Cannons play out of the Fort Dupont Ice Arena located in Southeast D.C.
On Monday the Capitals will wear a special decal with Henderson's face on their helmets, and special black pre-game warmup jersey's with a Fort Dupont patch on the sleeve.
In 2019, Henderson became the first Black person to be inducted into the US Hockey Hall of Fame.
When team representatives showed him the special decal that will be on the team's helmets, Neal Henderson was impressed with how much it looked like him. Afterward, he was asked to reflect on his legacy in hockey.
"It's a dream that I am afraid to wake up from," said Henderson. "Never did I ever thought that a hockey puck would do so much in my life. It's a real pleasure to know that something you're supposed to have fun with, has made a legacy for my life."
He got emotional when team representatives presented him with one of the jerseys.
"If only my mom and dad could see this," Henderson said through tears. "And just think, that I'm able to see this. Usually things like this happen after somebody's gone."
The jerseys will be signed and auctioned off along with signed pucks commemorating Black History Month and other items to benefit the Capital Impact Fund. Hosted by Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation, the fundraiser is now open here and concludes March 2 at 3 p.m. EST.
The Caps' honoring Neal Henderson and the Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Club is just part of the team's Black History Month celebration. They'll also have a ceremonial puck drop involving Capitals alumnus Bill Riley and his granddaughter, Kryshanda Green.
Riley made his NHL debut during the Capitals' inaugural season in 1974. He became the first Black Nova Scotian to play in the NHL, and just the third Black player to play in the league. He followed the footsteps of Willie O'Ree, who broke the color barrier in the NHL in 1958, and Mike Marson, who also made his NHL debut while playing for the Caps in 1974.
Kryshanda Green was the first Black captain of the Ryerson University Rams women's hockey team in Toronto. She currently is on the NHL's Youth Hockey Inclusion Council.
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