The food was good, the beer was cold and the Caps? Well, the Caps were playing hockey. After weeks of preparation and coordination, NoVa Caps hosted our 2nd 2016 viewing party at Blackfinn Ameripub in Merrifield.
An Army of Caps fans descended upon Blackfinn as early as 2 pm on Saturday to get choice seats for the game and approximately 150 Caps fans streamed in throughout the evening and beyond puck drop. While there were some space challenges because of the competing NFL playoff games between the dining room and bar, we were able to loudly cheer for our beloved Capitals. We even had young Mateo, the “little horn guy” in house trumpeting out the “Let’s Go Caps” battle cry.
Each intermission featured raffle and door prize drawings for items including tickets to the upcoming Kings v. Capitals game and autographed pucks and photos. Raffle tickets sold like hotcakes and NoVa Caps will donate the proceeds, $420, to Mutt Love Rescue, a locally based group that rescues dogs and finds them forever homes. Thank you Caps fans! Woof!
Many fans also won door prizes (white tickets) and received t-shirts, Winter Classic jersey patches and other various tchotchkes. Jack was our big winner by correctly guessing that Taylor Chorney would be the first Capitals player serving time in the penalty box. We even took time out to sing Happy Birthday to the NoVa Caps leader and founder Jon Sorensen whose birthday is Tuesday, 1/19.
A special thanks to all who helped to make the Caps v. Sabres viewing party a success — Beckie Reilly, JB Arnold and Matthew Higdon! Thank you so much for your help we could not have hosted this excellent party without you. Also, a huge shout out to the servers and staff at Blackfinn Ameripub! Thank you for your service.
While the game was a bit disappointing, we completely agree with Laura Fisher’s post, “Even though we lost we still had a great time meeting new Caps friends.” NoVa Caps next viewing party is: Thursday, February 18th at Crystal City Sports Pub in Arlington, VA. We will post the event soon and hope to see all of you there!
By Stephanie Judge
