ALLCAPS at Dicks Sporting Goods
Fans line the walkway within Dicks Sporting Goods waiting on a CHAMPION
It was 9:11 a.m. Wednesday when I got the call. My car was being serviced at the shop. It was from an unnamed source who let me in on the secret. Dick’s Sporting Goods in the RIO in Gaithersburg was holding an autograph ceremony on Wednesday afternoon at 5:30 p.m. with a Washington Capitals player. You needed a wristband to get in line and ultimately close enough to a local sports hero. I called for an UBER and got over to the RIO by 9:45 a.m. and got a band. I also got an outline of the signing process from the local Dick’s managers.
By 5:15 p.m., in my own freshly repaired Acura RDX, I was on my way to Dick’s. Parked by 5:30 p.m. and indoors with my cameras I sized up the crowd of 350 fans and looked for the best photo angles for the ceremony. Devante Smith-Pelly, Capitals Wingman sans the Stanley Cup, was the designated team member to travel to Gaithersburg to face the faithful. He arrived about 6 p.m. and entered the building through the loading dock.
The staff at Dick’s was great. They had accommodated many fans all day and then marked off areas for the local TV/Video media folks to record this ALLCAPS moment in the M portion of the locale DMV area. Why Dick’s in Gaithersburg? Well, according to local management it was because this store had the highest sales of CAPS memorabilia in the entire area. No other Dick’s Sporting Goods in the DMV would host a similar signing event.
L to R Peyton, Riley, Peter and Jack Kimmel display their helmets autographed by Devante Smith-Pelly
Moms with children in tow and fans of all sizes dressed in red waited and held signs as they wrapped around the first floor retail pathways waiting for a moment to have Smith-Pelly sign a puck, a card, a Caps sign, a jersey or a plastic hockey helmet. Karin Steele brought her two children, Logan, and Ryan in a baby carriage, early by 4:30 p.m. to get the best chance for an autograph. Her sister Kelly Kimmel brought her four children Peyton, Riley, Peter and Jack to get CAPS plastic helmets signed and traveled with Christian and Dylan Galvin, who had their plastic hockey helmets signed.
The autograph session would last about two hours but for many it was this moment in time to revel in the celebration that has rocked the entire DMV area since the Washington Capitals won the Stanley Cup.
Photos to follow.
Copyright © 2018 Fabrizio | PhotoLoaf® for MCM
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