The Wizards this week unveiled a memorial marker for Abe Pollin on their court at Verizon Center, as well as an in-kind acknowledgement of the owner on their jerseys. Pollin passed on November 24. The remembrances will remain with the club for the remainder of the season.
I couldn’t help but notice last night that no such acknowledgment was in place on the Phone Booth’s ice sheet, nor anywhere on the Capitals’ uniform. Nor will it be. (I asked.)
“We held a moment of silence [for Pollin],” someone told me in the Friday night press box, “before the [game] doors opened.”
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That’s strange and disturbing. As the man who brought professional hockey to DC, Pollin deserves his name on the team’s sweaters and a formal acknowledgment of what he did for hockey in DC in front of the fans and players.
Or it’s predictable and appropriate.
New to Washington?
The “happy he’s gone” theme is getting pretty tiresome.
Why don’t you pass along all those wearying links and I’ll revisit the emphasis volume.
They had the moment of silence before the game. If you got there early that night, a video documentary on Pollin, the building of Verizon Center, the Wizards, and the Caps was shown. The Caps had articles on their website and Leonsis had an op-ed on Pollin in WaPo. Not sure why they would need to do more and why anyone thinks that they failed to acknowledge what Pollin did for hockey in DC.
I thought the Caps’ tributes were appropriate. He still owned the Wizards at the time of his death, but he no longer owned the Caps. Makes sense that their tributes would be different.
Would love to see the Caps start something called the “Pollin Cup,” (maybe for the winner of the season match-ups between the Caps and Pollin’s original hometown Philadelphia?) Or maybe the NHA could start a Pollin Trophy or Pollin Scholarship for something.
Cathy,
We were there for the Pollin moment of silence — we’re at every home game. The comment here was offered to me in mock jest and not meant to be taken literally.
Kal, the Caps have the Duchesne Cup; a “Pollin Cup” ain’t coming in this millennium.
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