Monumental Sports & Entertainment led production on unique rescue dog competition program airing Friday, June 14
Click HERE for video/photos of Capitals players with the Stanley Pup dogs and video of Tom Wilson and Trevor van Riemsdyk reading the “starting lineups.”
Washington, D.C. (June 12, 2024) – Monumental Sports Network (MNMT) announced today that the local, independent media platform will broadcast Stanley Pup, a 90-minute program featuring friendly canine competition, on Friday, June 14 at 7 PM ET. The program, which will re-air several times on MNMT over the coming weeks, is a first-of-its-kind presentation produced by Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE) in partnership with Michael Levitt Productions and NHL Productions.
In leading the production of Stanley Pup, Monumental Sports & Entertainment Productions captured the canine competition at Capital One Arena before taking it into post-production, where they transformed several hours of puppy cuteness – and a ton of puns – into a ruff and tumble battle where East meets West, kenalties lead to pawer plays, sticks are for chewing, and all biscuits live on the top shelf.
“I am so proud of the work our talented team put into creating this fun-filled program and for shining a light on local rescues,” said Aimee Brillhart, Vice President, Productions at Monumental Sports & Entertainment. “I cannot wait for DMV-area hockey fans and dog lovers to get a chance to see it on Monumental Sports Network and for audiences across the country to enjoy our work as it airs on other platforms.”
The program features adoptable dogs provided by nonprofit organization Petco Love from their partner animal shelters and rescues nationwide. The adorable lineup of pups represent the 16 teams that qualified for the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, including Alex Ofetchkin from Wolf Trap Animal Rescue (Merrifield, VA) representing the Washington Capitals.
In addition, local fans will recognize several familiar faces throughout the special, including Washington Capitals defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk and forward Tom Wilson making an appearance to introduce dogs available for adoption and provide an intermission interview supporting local pet adoption, and Alexa Landestoy of Monumental Sports Network reporting rinkside. The full production was filmed in multiple locations and the show features celebrity dog lovers Kristin Chenoweth, Mickey Guyton, Miranda Lambert, Heather McMahan, Lisa Vanderpump, and Trisha Yearwood. Stanley Pup premiered nationally on NHL Network and ESPN+ on Friday, June 7 for fans in the U.S. and on Sportsnet on Saturday, June 8 for fans in Canada.
Friday night’s broadcast and subsequent airings will be available both on linear tv and via Monumental’s digital streaming platform within the network’s footprint. Fans can watch the games through their Pay TV subscription on linear tv, on monumentalsportsnetwork.com, or by downloading the Monumental streaming app on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV and using an eligible TV Everywhere log-in.
For fans without a Pay TV subscription, Monumental Sports Network offers direct-to-consumer (DTC) subscription memberships for viewers seeking to access Monumental Sports Network’s live and on-demand programming. Fans can purchase monthly or annual memberships at monumentalsportsnetwork.com or by downloading the Monumental Sports Network app.
The Washington Capitals and the Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation have a longstanding history of supporting animal-related causes in the community. In 2019, the Capitals celebrated the Stanley Cup Playoffs with their inaugural Caps Canines Puppy Playoffs, a hockey game featuring adoptable puppies in a 16-minute game that aired on the organization’s social media channels. The Capitals and the Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation produce a Caps Canines calendar annually, featuring photos of Caps players with their dogs as well as dogs adoptable through the Northern-Virginia based Wolf Trap Animal Rescue. Proceeds benefit Wolf Trap Animal Rescue and Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation.
The Capitals also have partnered with America’s VetDogs to raise two service dogs – Captain, who was placed with a retired U.S. marine upon completing his training, and Biscuit, who now serves as a facility dog at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. In 2024, Nic and Paige Dowd also announced a collaboration through which the couple are sponsoring a future service dog named Judy through proceeds raised via their Dowd’s Crowd community program. Several Capitals players have also participated in Show Your Soft Side, a national anti-animal abuse campaign.
In addition, the team’s Caps Canines Club presented by PEDIGREE invites pet owners to register their dog for the official dog club of the Washington Capitals. Caps Canines gives pet owners the opportunity to get involved with the Washington Capitals through exclusive pet merchandise, events and special offers. In 2023, the Capitals hosted their third Caps Canines Night pawsented by PEDIGREE Foundation. The evening highlights the organization’s efforts around dog adoption and animal-related causes through elements including player arrivals with adoptable puppies, in-game content, and more.
Fans are invited to visit PetcoLove.org/StanleyPup for more information on the all-star pups featured in the show and at their local shelter. Additional highlights from Stanley Pup, including behind-the-scenes content, are available at NHL.com/StanleyPup.
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Monumental Sports Network is wholly owned and operated by Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE). The network holds exclusive local television media rights for the NHL’s Washington Capitals, NBA’s Washington Wizards and WNBA’s Washington Mystics games. Monumental Sports Network is also the TV and digital home to the NBA G League’s Capital City Go-Go and the NBA 2K League’s Wizards District Gaming as well as exclusive behind-the-scenes content and original sports and entertainment programming. The network also boasts the most comprehensive regional high-school and regional collegiate Division II-and-under sports programming in the greater Washington D.C. metro area. For more, visit: www.monumentalsportsnetwork.com.