Washington Capitals to Sponsor USA Wounded Warriors in USA Hockey Sled Classic

The Washington Capitals announced today they will sponsor the USA Wounded Warriors in the third annual USA Hockey Sled Classic presented by the National Hockey League.

The competition will take place at the Northtown Center at Amherst in Buffalo Nov. 9-11, pills with the Rockville, drug Md., USA Warriors ice hockey team representing Washington.

The USA Hockey Sled Classic is an annual round robin format tournament between NHL-affiliated teams. Established in 2010, it is the first competitive adult tournament of its kind.

Washington will begin the tournament in a game against Buffalo on Friday, Nov. 9, followed by a contest against Carolina. On Saturday, Nov. 10, Washington will compete against a second Buffalo-based team, with semifinals and the championship game scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 11.

The 2012 competition marks the first year a Capitals sponsored team is participating in the classic. Washington Capitals Charities, the nonprofit arm of the Washington Capitals, funded the registration fee and provided the USA Warriors with Capitals Jerseys including the players’ names and numbers, in addition to helmet decals.

A member of USA Hockey and the Potomac Valley Amateur Hockey Association, the mission of the USA Warriors ice hockey program is to organize and administer an ice hockey program that provides a recreational, therapeutic experience and education to those wounded in defense of the United States. Established in 2006, the team is based out of the Rockville Ice Arena.

A total of 12 NHL teams are sending one or more teams to participate in the USA Hockey Sled Classic, including the Washington Capitals, Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Chicago Blackhawks, Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, St. Louis Blues and Tampa Bay Lightning.