Caps Development Camp: A Week Of Autographs

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We spent the entire week at Kettler Iceplex Covering Caps Development Camp.  This is our final entry from the week of hockey.

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Stewart arrived at the Ballston Mall at 7:00am.  He wasn't going to take a chance with any parking issues.  He wasn't going to try to fight the crowd.  He was going to get Mike Ribeiro's autograph.

The determined Caps fan staked out his territory soon after his arrival and nabbed the first position in line.  It didn't matter that nobody else was there.  It didn't matter that he would have to wait almost 3 whole hours.  Stewart would possess Mike Ribeiro's signature, and nobody would stop him.

(Center) New Caps Center Mike Ribeiro Signing Autographs - (Left) The Line At 9am - (Right) Stewart The Super-Fan

From morning practice sessions on Monday to afternoon scrimmages on Thursday to the Fanfest on Saturday, fans were autograph hungry.  Caps Development Camp was supposed to be a time for the players to learn about NHL-Style hockey but these young prospects learned something else; Caps fans are obsessed with autographs.

Caps Fanfest 2012 In Pictures

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We will be live at Kettler each day at some point for Development Camp.  So follow us on Twitter @Dru90 @Camcoco10 and @TheDugsSports for live-tweets and check back all week for coverage.

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On Saturday morning, the Caps concluded their 2012 Development Camp with a special event for all the fans.  Washington Capitals Fanfest was a day filled with fun for the whole family including face painting, street hockey, ice skating, moon bounces, and more.  Hundreds of fans came out for the fun, and here are a few pictures from the event.

 Fans Rush To The Game-Used Equipment Sale

Slapshot Skating With The Fans

Come back later to read about the final scrimmage and the autograph sessions.  Until then the pictures continue after the jump...

Getting Ready For Washington Capitals Fanfest

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We will be live at Kettler each day at some point for Development Camp.  So follow us on Twitter @Dru90 @Camcoco10 and @TheDugsSports for live-tweets and check back all week for coverage.

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This Saturday, July 14th, the Caps are inviting all fans down to Kettler Iceplex in Arlington, Virginia to enjoy the 2012 Washington Capitals Development Camp Fanfest.  Afterwards we are going to head into the mall and go to Rock Bottom to talk hockey and stuff.  Details:

This event requires one to get up before noon, but from the looks of things it will be well worth the grogginess.

The festivities start at 9am and last throughout the afternoon with activities like face-painting, street hockey, a moon bounce, and more fun for children.  And of course I will be trying to participate in these fun & games despite being an adult.  (I'm not ashamed to ask!)

At 9:40 they will open up the side ice rink for FREE open skate.  Another activity where I will most likely injure small children.

The Development Camp teams will take the ice at 10am for a scrimmage, but most young people (and myself) will be running upstairs to meet the newest Washington Capital, Mike Ribeiro, who will be signing autographs at 10am.  I will yell things like "I want my baby-back" and "Someone get me a wet-nap, Ribz is here" until I get ejected from the premises.

After the scrimmage ends and the players get their equipment off, some of them will come out to sign autographs.  It probably won't be as personal as when Filip Forsberg came out the other day at camp, but you can be sure that adults will be knocking over children to get the autograph of that QMHLBOHLW player who will never see the NHL ice.

You can even go to the website now to enter to win an autographed jersey (aka enter to get calls from the Caps & Wiz ticket office every day for the rest of your life).  The site also has more details about the event.

Once everyone gets all those , we are going to head to Rock Bottom around 1pm for some appetizers on me (or whoever gave me that gift card).  So if you haven't met any of us yet, come join us!