Washington, D.C.

Washington, District of Columbia, is the capital of the United States.

It has a population of almost 600,000 and a metro population of close to 6 million.

History of hockey in Washington, DC

The Ice Palace at Convention Hall opened in Washington, DC, in January 1896. The rink's surface, which measured 155’ x 205’, was then the largest sheet of artificial ice in the world. On January 9, Queen’s University from Canada and the Baltimore Athletic Club played the first ice hockey game at the rink, won 6-0 by the former. The Washington Hockey Club, Berkley Club, and Columbia Athletic Club were soon established, Washington beating Berkeley 1-0 on February 1. The Montreal Shamrocks beat the Montreal Hockey Club 3-1 in DC on March 7. The Washington Hockey Club and Washington Regents faced each other three times in 1897. The Ice Palace closed after this season, and hockey did not return to Washington until the Eagles joined the Eastern Hockey League for 1939-40. They played at the outdoor Riverside Stadium (with artificially frozen ice) from 1939-1941, then moved into the indoor Uline Arena.

The Washington Lions joined the American Hockey League in 1941, causing the Eagles to fold a year later. The Lions history was as follows: AHL (1941-1943), Eastern Hockey League (1944-1947), AHL (1947-1949), EHL (1951-1957). The team was renamed the Presidents in 1957 and remained in the EHL until 1960. The Washington Capitals have played in the National Hockey League since 1974, winning their first Stanley Cup in 2018.