When Kim Willard first heard about the Baltimore Area Special Hockey program 12 years ago, she wasn’t sure if her then 11-year-old daughter, Grace, would want to participate. Grace, who has Down syndrome, had never been on the ice before, but Willard registered Grace and her brother, Andrew, for the program anyway.

To her surprise, Grace enjoyed skating. No, she didn’t step into the rink and become Wayne Gretzky, but she practiced every weekend and continued to improve. “It was hard at first, but now I’m pretty good,” says Grace, now 22.

Since starting the adaptive recreational hockey program for children and adults with developmental disabilities in 2008, BASH team managers Jim and Teresa Zinkhan have grown the Baltimore Saints family to 130 players ranging from age 5 to 39.

Prior to founding BASH, the couple did not have any experience working with people with special needs, but per a friend’s suggestion, they created a hockey program where everyone feels welcome on the ice. With decades of playing time under his belt, Jim took on the role of “Coach Pinky”—known for his neon-pink stick, helmet, and gloves—to show players that there’s nothing wrong with being different.

“There is no guidebook on our kids, you have to see what works for each kid individually,” says Jim, pictured.

With the Reisterstown Sportsplex as its home arena, the BASH program is volunteer-based and divided into four sessions, ranging from beginner skaters to players who scrimmage each other and occasionally area high-school teams.

Along with the usual benefits that come with playing a team sport—regular exercise, a sense of community—BASH players have seen additional results, including increased core strength, muscle tone, and self-esteem. No matter the session, each player proudly sports a burgundy, white, and blue jersey with their name and number stamped on the back.

For Jim and Teresa, the heart of the program lies in the bundled-up parents who watch their children navigate the ice—a skill that some people, including Willard, never thought their child would be able to do.

“It’s our Saturday morning miracle every Saturday,” Willard says.

Now, as a Baltimore Saints player for more than a decade, Grace makes skating look easy. She went from using handmade PVC-pipe walkers to gliding around the rink so quickly that not even the brisk air can perturb her. “I feel much better skating,” Grace says. “I feel proud.”

Will Gee has fond memories of going to Baltimore Skipjacks hockey games growing up in the city. But it’s been more than two decades since the team hung up its skates, and Baltimore’s hockey allegiances have, more or less, shifted to the Washington Capitals. As the franchise begins its playoff run, it will do so with a Baltimore connection.

At a recent meeting with the Capitals, Balti Virtual, a local augmented reality company of which Gee is the CEO, presented some recent work. It’s there that Tilt The Ice, an augmented reality game based off a different demo Balti Virtual designed for developer’s conference Beta City, was born.

This past week, a few thousand drink coasters were passed around Washington, D.C. bars and restaurants. Users can download Balti Virtual’s free app, AppAR8, and scan these coasters to spring a three-dimensional game to life. The object is simple: you’re the goalie, and your job is to stop as many pucks as possible before the game ends. The goalie’s movements correspond with how players tilt the coaster.

“It’s been a big hit so far,” Gee says. “We’ve been doing a lot in marketing and entertainment, so a lot of what we do grows out of the video game industry and video game technology. [The Capitals] liked the fact that we could build something really quickly with them.”

The game doesn’t involve a lot of fuss—there’s no email required to play and you can enter whatever you want for your name. It’s also one of the first times that Balti Virtual has created a global leaderboard where top scores can be marked for posterity. Players are encouraged to screenshot and share their scores on social media. The top player scores are eligible for prizes.

This type of technology and games like it represent a flashpoint for interactivity and, as Gee notes, different ways to pull in people’s attention. As a technology, augmented reality is recognizable but still has a bit of grandfathering to do before it reaches mainstream ubiquity. Gee says that major tech companies are exploring how it can be used in the same way as mobile apps when it comes to aiding business. “Augmented reality is essentially a hidden layer that can be personalized in the physical world, and there’s a lot you can do with that,” he explains.

Balti Virtual hopes to grow Tilt The Ice during the Capitals’ postseason. There will be a bigger push across social channels as the coasters are distributed again. The Capitals begin playoff play at home on Thursday at Capital One Arena.

As for their chances— the team enters this year’s Stanley Cup as a No. 1 seed out of the Metropolitan Division—Gee is holding his tongue.

“I don’t want to jinx it, but I feel pretty good,” Gee says. “It’s exciting for us to be working with a team we’ve been cheering for.”

If kids want to learn to play soccer, all they need is a ball and a place to run. Same goes for football and basketball. But hockey, with its sticks and pucks and—if they graduate from street to ice—skates and pads, is more of a challenge to learn, and that’s providing they can find a place to play.  

The Washington Capitals Street Hockey program is hoping to break down those accessibility barriers in Baltimore. This summer, at the eighth annual Baltimore Street Hockey Tournament at the Madison Square Recreation Center on Gay Street, the Caps announced plans to partner with Baltimore City Public Schools and Baltimore City Recreation and Parks to expand the sports’ reach to the city’s more than 150 public schools and 42 community centers. 

Through their donation of street hockey equipment, as well as supplying a curriculum and a day of teacher training this past August, Capitals Street Hockey will provide access to the sport for all ages in the BCPS system. Sticks, balls, and goals arrived at the schools and community centers at the end of November, and the program will kick off in schools this winter.  

“As soon as I get the equipment, I’m going to start my hockey unit,” says Kyle Hughes, who has taught physical education at Thomas Johnson Elementary/Middle School for the past seven years. “I can’t wait. A lot of my students haven’t even been introduced to hockey. I’m going to have some who have never picked up a hockey stick before.” 

While the partnership with BCPS will add a fun new element to gym class, the long-term goal for the initiative is to grow the sport in Maryland and connect with the team’s Baltimore fan base. The Caps partnered with D.C. Public Schools, in 2016, and, since then, the program has grown to include field trips where students can play full street hockey games or learn to skate at local rinks. Peter Robinson, the Capitals’ director of community relations, says they hope to replicate their success in Baltimore.  

“If [students] take a liking to hockey and they’re interested in it and they want to go to the next level,” says Robinson, “then we can work with the school system or the students to get them connected with their local ice rink.”  The idea is to build upon students’ hockey skills from year to year so that, down the line, the only true beginners are the kids who are new to school.

And who knows? On some distant NHL draft day, we might see a kid from Baltimore who learned to hold a stick in gym class don a cap and sweater.

There was a feeling of certainty in Washington, D.C., last night.

From the basement bar below 7th street up to the high rise windows taped over with messages of support, the people of D.C. knew their boys weren’t leaving Vegas without the Cup. You could just feel it. A group of friends down from Annapolis told their buddy not to jinx it when he said he couldn’t wait to see the Stanley Cup come to town. He brushed them off with a quick, “You can’t jinx this. It’s ours.” Down in that basement, a bartender said the last time she saw it this packed was Obama’s first inauguration.

There are certain things D.C. is great at. Standing in line is one, and there was a lot of that around Chinatown last night. But another is showing up when there’s history to be made. And show up they did. Some threw on Ovechkin and Holtby sweaters over office slacks. Others staked their claim along blocked-off streets with chairs and coolers. Many, like me, hopped on a train and made their way to Gallery Place from Maryland or Virginia.

We formed a hot, crowded sea of red that crushed together at 7th and G and spread in every direction. We yelled and screamed until we went hoarse, and then rasped out our cheers and officiating complaints. We hugged our friends and anyone else nearby. We bonded with strangers and stood our ground together as the crowd moved and pushed and pulsed. We passed cheap beer around while bemused police watched, and we didn’t care about how much of it ended up in the air when a puck flew past Fleury and lit the lamp.

And as the seconds ticked down and it became clear that, yes, we would be the crowd celebrating in the streets, the first crowd of Caps fans to have that privilege, that benign lawlessness of a city of winners took over.

Poles were climbed (thanks for not greasing them, officers), drinks abandoned in the excitement rained over the crowd, people stood on each other’s shoulders, and copies of of the Express with “FINISH THEM!” emblazoned on the cover were grabbed from boxes and thrown into the air. All at once, shouts of “We want the cup!” switched to “WE GOT THE CUP!” and then, as the longtime hero finally hoisted the storied trophy overhead, just a deafening “OVI! OVI! OVI!”

We celebrated and high-fived and held each other up in the chaos. Natives and transplants alike basked in the feeling that they were there when the Caps finally got their Cup, that they jumped and chanted and maybe earned a bruise or two during this moment 44 years in the making. When I was living in D.C., the two questions I got asked most often were “Where are you from?” and “What do you do?” Last night, neither mattered. Plenty of natives were in that crowd outside the arena, but I’d venture to guess that just as many were raised in other places and sported other colors.

I stood with one of my best friends and cried and laughed and yelled in the streets of the city that brought both of us so far from home. As a Blackhawks fan from Wisconsin and a Blues fan from St. Louis, we raised fists in the air in triumph and yelled at refs hundreds of miles away as we have so many times before. I’m sure there were many others like us, far from home but feeling every possible emotion for the team we’ve adopted as our own. For once, we were all there to see the same team win—just like we knew they would.

When it was over—amid the triumphant rings of the tip-turned-celebration bell behind the bar, the popping of champagne bottles, and the dizzy celebration of the room full of red-clad fans—Hudson Street Stackhouse owner Dom DeSantis made like Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin on the TVs above him and hoisted an empty keg over his head as if it were the Stanley Cup. “It’s unreal,” DeSantis said about a half hour later, as the celebration continued and midnight approached. “I’m so excited for this.”

In their 44th year of existence and following many recent years of frustration, the Capitals were finally champions. That sentence may carry different weight depending on your fondness for our nearby city to the south, its sports teams, and specifically hockey. But if you were the 100 or so fans who packed 2626 Hudson St. in Canton, a designated “Caps House,” as the banner atop the building said, the emotions were clear late Thursday night.

You anxiously watched through the first two periods that ended with the homestanding Vegas Golden Knights (yep, they’re a thing) leading 3-2, then screamed and cheered as and finally let reality sink in as the Caps rallied and went ahead, a goal by Lars Eller with 7:32 left holding up as the championship-winner. With that, poof went the last decade of postseason futility, an emotion strong enough to touch the various corners of the Caps’ regional fan base, including Baltimore, which hasn’t had a pro hockey presence since the minor league Bandits stopped playing in 1997.

“It’s been forever,” said Richard DeSantis, who introduced his bar-owning son and his two brothers to hockey in Patterson Park ice rink 30 years ago, and brought them to Capitals games at the old Capital Centre in Landover, where the team used to play. That rearing essentially planted the seed for the hockey bar that emerged on Hudson Street. “It was so fun to watch, the whole playoffs,” Richard said as he took in the jubilant red-rocked scene, a few blocks from where his grandfather started the family bar business by opening Venice Tavern on South Conkling and Bank Streets the year after prohibition ended. “And for somebody like Alex Ovechkin, whose been such a great player for all these years and has never gotten there, I’m so happy for him.”

So was his son, who 10 years ago took over ownership of Hudson Street, a place where he gathered with friends after adult league hockey games and became a place where Caps’ fans flocked over time. “I had been demoralized,” the 38-year-old said of the previous playoff exits, most recently series losses to Pittsburgh (ugh) in 2016 and 2017, despite the Caps finishing the most points in the league both seasons. “This is super special. Naturally, the first thing you think of when the Caps make it this far in the playoffs, is that it brings the hockey community together. While in Baltimore, obviously hockey is not a very popular sport compared to other sports, when they make it this far, everybody comes together.”

And hangs on every moment, like when with two minutes left in Thursday’s game and the Caps clinging to a one-goal lead, the digital scoreboard clock on NBC’s broadcast malfunctioned and disappeared. “How much time?!” probably a dozen people yelled at various TVs, as everyone wondered the same question. With 50 seconds left, the clock reappeared, just in time as final countdown and celebration was captured on phones (#AllCaps) and in memories. “To see them win and bring the Cup to the area,” Dom DeSantis said, “it’s hard to put into words.” So he did it with a keg instead.

On Wednesday night, the Washington Capitals did something no one expected them to do: They made the Stanley Cup finals. Fans had reason to be skeptical. The team hasn’t been in the finals since 1998, when they were quickly dispatched of by the Detroit Red Wings in 4. This year, the Caps came roaring out of the gate in the Eastern Conference Finals, taking a 2-0 lead against the Tampa Bay Lightning. But then Tampa Bay won the third game. And then the fourth and the fifth. And suddenly they were up 2-3. When the Caps won the 6th game, a few fans grumbled that they were merely delaying the inevitable.

Well, guess what? The Caps won Game 7, catapulting them into the Stanley Cup Finals against the Vegas Golden Knights, which is apparently a real team in the NHL, I checked.

All of this creates something of a dilemma for local hockey fans: Who do we root for in the Stanley Cup Finals?
On the one hand, it’s not like Baltimore has an NHL team of our own and the Caps are the closest thing we’ve got. Also, as my sister Felicia (a D.C. resident) pointed out, D.C. folks rooted for the Orioles until they got their own baseball team. (True!)

On the other hand, the Caps are from D.C.! And D.C. is definitely not Baltimore. In fact, we spend a lot of time trying to get out from D.C.’s shadow, and remind the rest of the country that we have our own thing going here.

Also, who could forget THIS? (Yeah, like D.C. doesn’t have a rat problem.)

Anyway, to get a sense of city’s temperature regarding the long-suffering Caps finally making it back to the finals, I posted the following question on my Facebook page: “Baltimorons: Are you rooting for the Capitals in the Stanley Cup Finals?”

I told folks I might use their answers for this story, so I’m not violating some friend code here.

Anyway, at first the answers were largely pro-Capitals and positive.

“Um. Yes,” wrote my pal (and sports broadcaster extraordinaire) Nestor Aparicio. Succinct and to the point.

“Being a fan for the past 11 years, thanks to my wife, YES! I have never been as nervous as I was last night, and it still doesn’t feel real,” said my friend Matt Ball.

“Unless the Skipjacks are playing, I’m pulling for the Caps. I’ve been un-conflicted for 25 years,” said occasional Baltimore magazine contributor Jim Meyer.

There were a few more comments like this. One friend noted that the great Capitals winger Alexander Ovechkin deserved his Stanley Cup, for sentimental reasons if nothing else. Richard Gorelick (also an occasional Baltimore writer) said that the Caps making the finals made lots of his friends happy, so it made him happy.

But then a few dissenting voices began to creep in:

“I was raised to hate all things D.C. and it shall continue. A true Baltimoron will never jump on that bandwagon. Bring back the Bullets!” wrote my friend, and Baltimore native, Brook Yeaton.

“Baltimore fans rooting for the Caps sickens me, frankly,” said Evan Serpick, a former editor here and at City Paper. “When I was growing up, we rooted for two football teams every week: the Colts and whoever the Redskins were playing. In the years between, the Colts and the Ravens, hating the Redskins was our only connection to pro football. And we watched the Baltimore Skipjacks (of blessed memory). And we liked it.”

But it was perhaps Jim Burger, a local writer, photographer, and martini enthusiast who put it best: “I have often said that the beauty of the National Hockey League is that any team can win the Stanley Cup . . . except the Washington Capitals,” he cracked. “It’s like some kind of rule I think. But I’m pulling for them, and I hope to be finally proven wrong. God knows some team around here should win something.”

If by some chance you are rooting for the Caps, we’ve got a list of where you can watch the game with fellow fans here.

Whether you’ve been loyal to the Caps since before Ovi was drafted or you’re just jumping on the bandwagon, now is the time to find a place to settle in and watch some history unfold. Will the Capitals’ first Final appearance in 20 years be the one that finally earns them their chance to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup? Or will the newly minted Vegas Golden Knights overcome their preseason 500-1 odds in true Sin City style? Either way, you’ll want to be watching. Here are some local spots to settle into for at least the next four games.

Hudson Street Stackhouse
If you can’t wear your Caps jersey to the office, be sure to bring it along for a quick change at quitting time. Happy hour prices on Hudson Street’s dozens of drafts extend through all three periods (and into overtime, when you’ll really need it) for those rocking team gear. 2626 Hudson St., 410-342-0592

Swallow at the Hollow
This North Baltimore dive offers red, white, and blue domestic bottles (Budweiser, Miller Lite, and Bud Light for those who haven’t studied up on their beer branding) for $2.50 during all Caps games. Use the brews to wash down some Guy Fieri-approved Honey Ghost Chicken Wings while you cheer. 5921 York Rd., 410-532-7542

Hair of the Dog
Grab a spot near one of 20 big-screen TVs, including a 110-inch HD projection screen, at this South Baltimore sports bar. Bring some friends along to share $10 Natty Light pitchers or a pitcher plus a half pound of peel ‘n’ eat shrimp for $14. 1649 S. Hanover St., 410-814-0342

Slainte
This soccer bar also knows how to cater to the crowds that prefer ice. Head to the Thames Street pub for $25 Budweiser towers, $3 Bud Light/Labatt Blue/Labatt Blue Light, and $7 apps every game night. Head upstairs for easier views of some of Slainte’s 18 HDTVs. 1700 Thames St., 410-563-6600

DogWatch Tavern
Come early to nab a seat near one of the 12 TVs in this Fells Point tavern with plenty of couch seats and arcade games to keep the fun going during intermission. Happy hour specials from 4-8 p.m. include $2 domestic bottles, $2 Jello shots, $4 rails and wine, $5 Stoli flavored cocktails, and $5 appetizers. 709 S. Broadway, 410-276-6030

City Limits Sports Bar
In addition to regular nightly specials during each game, Caps fans can get $5 Jameson drinks and $5 wings, half-size nachos, mezze platters, and mozzarella sticks while they watch one of the 19 TVs at this Locust Point gathering place. 1700 E. Fort Ave., 410-244-8084

Jimmy’s Famous Seafood
When it comes to hockey, Jimmy’s doesn’t mess around. In addition to an away game happy hour (two for one drinks, half-priced burgers, half-priced flatbreads, $1 oysters, $3 tacos, $4 steamed crabs), the seafood spot is planning its ninth “Famous Bus Trip” of the season for Game 4 in Washington, D.C. on June 4. More details are still to come, but for now super fans can plan on a $50 package that includes a ride to and from the arena, drinks on the bus before and after the game, happy hour pricing before the game, a koozie, and a Caps T-shirt. 6526 Holabird Ave., 410-633-4040