Hurricanes go extra mile for marine who lost his lid

Capitals fan had special hat tossed over the glass after Ovechkin’s trick

On Dec. 14, 38-year-old Capitals fan Ken Brasington and his wife travelled from Charlotte to Raleigh, N.C., to see their favourite team play the Hurricanes. Midway through the third period, Alex Ovechkin scored to give Washington a 5-4 lead, notching his second consecutive hat trick in the process.

It was cause for celebration, but the rest of the night, Brasington later said, was a “real nightmare.”

As Ovechkin celebrated his third goal, hats rained down from the PNC Arena stands.

Before Brasington knew what had happened, someone removed the fitted Nationals hat from his head and flung it toward the ice. Brasington was momentarily relieved when his tattered headwear, which he purchased in 2004, landed short of the glass, one section over. But another Capitals fan picked up the hat and tossed it again.

“I thought, ‘Oh my God, there it goes,’” said Brasington, who grew up in Stafford, Va., and has been a Capitals fan since 1985.

After the game, he sought out a Hurricanes employee who might be able to help reunite the U.S. Marine Corps veteran with his hat.

When told retrieving it was impossible, Brasington said he’d worn the hat around the world as a government contractor after serving in the marines, including three trips to Iraq and two to Afghanistan.

It was a reminder of places he’d been and friends he’d lost.

He then left his contact information with a guest services representative. A despondent Brasington called a former colleague who suggested he get in touch with the Washington Post’s Capitals beat reporter Isabelle Khurshudyan.

Late that Dec. 14 night, Brasington laid out his predicament in an email to Khurshudyan, who made no guarantees, but offered to help. Khurshudyan then emailed Pace Sagester, the Hurricanes’ manager of communications and team services, who previously spent four years working for the Capitals.

Sagester exchanged emails with Brasington. Meanwhile, Sagester’s colleague Mike Sundheim called the head of the ice crew that had been responsible for clearing the ice after Ovechkin’s third goal. It turned out the hats, which some teams offer to the player who recorded the hat trick or donate to a local charity, were still in a large bag in the bowels of PNC Arena.

Saturday was an off day for the Hurricanes, but Sagester and Sundheim arrived before practice Sunday to search for Brasington’s hat. It wasn’t hard to locate.

Sagester sent Brasington a photo of the hat to confirm that it was his and asked for his address. Brasington’s hat arrived via Fedex Dec. 18 along with a handwritten note and a new Hurricanes cap. Washington Post