Ted Leonsis will add the 2026 Lester Patrick Trophy to a Washington hockey résumé that stretches from the Capitals’ first Stanley Cup to a major expansion of youth access across the region. The controlling owner of the Capitals since 1999 will receive the honor in Washington on Nov. 30 during the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame induction celebration.
The annual trophy recognizes exceptional service to hockey in the United States. Leonsis, 70, was born in Brooklyn, New York, and is the founder, chairman, managing partner and CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said Leonsis has paired vision with execution in a way that has benefited hockey nationally and especially around the nation’s capital. Bettman called Leonsis’ 27-year stewardship transformative for the Capitals, downtown Washington and young people reached through hockey and educational programs.
Capitals’ record under Leonsis
Washington’s on-ice record has changed dramatically over Leonsis’ tenure. The Capitals captured their first Stanley Cup in 2018, won three Presidents’ Trophies and claimed 13 division championships.
| Capitals accomplishment | Details |
|---|---|
| Stanley Cup | 2018 |
| Presidents’ Trophies | 2009-10, 2015-16, 2016-17 |
| Eastern Conference first-place finishes | Five: 2009-10, 2010-11, 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2024-25 |
| Division titles | 13 |
| Regular-season wins since 1999-2000 | 1,085, third-most in the NHL over that span |
| Regular-season points since 1999-2000 | 2,435, also third-most leaguewide |
Leonsis is among the NHL’s longest-serving owners and was unanimously chosen as chairman of the League’s Board of Governors on Sept. 22.
Beyond hockey, he owns the NBA’s Washington Wizards, the WNBA’s Washington Mystics and the NBA G League’s Capital City Go-Go.
Growth of the game in the Washington area
The Capitals have made player development and entry-level access a major part of their local work under Leonsis. Since Future Caps Learn to Play began in 2016, the program has introduced more than 12,000 participants to hockey.
More than 30,000 people have taken part in Capitals youth hockey events since 2018. The club has also built or upgraded 14 outdoor street and inline rinks, while launching the Capitals Street Hockey League to lower barriers for new players.
- USA Hockey youth and adult registration in Washington rose by more than 220 percent from 2005-06 through 2025-26.
- Registration across Washington, Maryland and Virginia increased 78 percent over the same period.
- Girls’ and women’s registration in those three jurisdictions climbed 225 percent.
Leonsis also chairs the District of Columbia College Access Program, a nonprofit scholarship organization serving students in the Washington area. His family supports student entrepreneurs at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business through the annual Bark Tank pitch competition, the Leonsis Venture Lab and the Georgetown Entrepreneurship program.
Hall of Fame weekend
Leonsis will be recognized alongside the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2026. That group includes Phil Kessel, a three-time Stanley Cup winner and the NHL’s all-time consecutive-games leader; Amanda Kessel, an Olympic gold medalist and four-time IIHF Women’s World Championship gold medalist; and former Capitals forward T.J. Oshie, the 2018 Cup winner remembered for his shootout performance at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
Also entering the Hall are Ryan Suter, whose 1,526 regular-season games rank second among U.S.-born NHL defensemen, and longtime USA Hockey athletic trainer Stan Wong.
A trophy with deep roots
The New York Rangers presented the Lester Patrick Trophy to the NHL in 1966 in memory of Lester Patrick, whose hockey career included 50 years as a player, coach and general manager.
Recent recipients include Ray Shero in 2025, Sam Rosen in 2024, Joe Bertagna in 2023, Warren Strelow in 2022, Jack Barzee in 2021, Lynn Olson in 2020, Jack Blatherwick in 2019 and Jim Johansson in 2018. Peter Lindberg and Dave Ogrean shared the award in 2017; Mark Howe and Patrick J. Kelly were honored in 2016; Jeremy Jacobs and Bob Crocker received it in 2015; and Bill Daly and Paul Holmgren were recognized in 2014.
