New Washington Capitals team dog Biscuit the Caps Pup is ready for the upcoming 2021-22 NHL season.
Biscuit, a brown Labrador Retriever from America’s Vetdogs, will hopefully one day become a service dog, but until that happens, he will receive his basic training with help from the team and staff.
To commemorate his taking over the Caps Pup mantle, Biscuit had a Media Day all to himself ahead of the 2021-22 NHL season, which seems very appawpriate when it comes to hockey dogs.
While the Caps Canines Puppy Playoffs (think a hockey version of the Animal Planet Puppy Bowl) have been a thing for several years now, Biscuit will be the second official team dog, following in the pawsteps of Captain.
Caps Pup Biscuit will take over the team dog role for the Washington Capitals during the 2021-22 NHL season.
Media Day involved a lot of fun videos and posts on Twitter, and while he hasn’t exactly gotten proper spelling rules down just yet, Biscuit is excellent at looking adorable and making friends among players like Alex Ovechkin, Nicholas Backstrom, TJ Oshie and more.
THERE’S A NEW PUP IN TOWN!
— Biscuit (@CapsPup) September 27, 2021
i’m Biscuit the official pup of the @Capitals ! just like your old frend Captain, i’ll be training to be a service dog for @americasvetdogs. i like playing with pucks (biscuits) and sticks and can't wait to meet u all !!! pic.twitter.com/oI4VaMgoob
(The Capitals’ ownership group, Monumental Sports and Entertainment, have also helped raise Scout, her time was split between the NBA Wizards, WNBA Mystics, NBA G-League Capital City Go-Go and esports teams Wizards District Gaming and Caps Gaming).
Also joining the ranks of NHL team service dogs-in-training this year is the Minnesota Wild’s Celly (following Breezer and Hobey), and it seems likely that there will be others announced as the season goes on.
Puppies will be around their organization for around a year and half before going to Puppy College to get their more advanced training, and if everything goes right, then they become a service dog as an adult. If they don’t have quite the right temperament for that job, then usually they will either become a stud dog or companion dog/ordinary pet.
Biscuit’s adventures as the Caps Pup can be followed on social media with the handle @CapsPup, and he already has a good online friend in Caps superfan Ovie the Bulldog.
During the very weird pandemic 2020-21 NHL season, the Washington Capitals finished second in the MassMutual East Division with 77 points and a 36-15-5 record, then exited the playoffs in the first round in a five-game series with the Boston Bruins.
The Caps open up the 2021-22 NHL season against the New York Rangers (who started the team service dog program) on Wednesday, October 13 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Capital One Arena.
For more on the Washington Capitals this season, see our FanSided Network sister site Stars and Sticks for all the latest news, analysis and opinions, and Puck Prose for the same on the NHL in general.