The Washington Capitals hosted a special guest this week, welcoming 10-year-old deaf actor Keivonn Woodard to their practice facility.
Woodard, who stars as Sam Burrell in the HBO series “The Last of Us,” is from Prince George’s County in Maryland and is an avid hockey player. He is a huge fan of Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin and aspires to become the first deaf Black player in the NHL.
On Friday, Woodard got to accomplish one of his dreams. He spent the day with Ovechkin and the Capitals organization. The day included a tour of the facility and some time at the rink. Woodard scored twice during practice drills with Capitals goalie Charlie Lindgren and forward Nicolas Aube-Kubel.
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Woodard also taught Ovechkin how to sign his nickname “Ovi” in American Sign Language (ASL). Ovechkin presented an autographed hockey stick to Woodard.
“Oh, this is so cool,” Woodard said through an ASL interpreter. “I can’t believe it. This is a dream of mine.”
Woodard was also introduced to former Capitals forward Devante Smith-Pelly, one of 11 Black players who have suited up for the organization.
Both Smith-Pelly and Woodard were present at the Capitals game on Saturday. Smith-Pelly participated in the puck drop during the “Celebrating Black History” pregame festivities.
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The Capitals defeated the New York Rangers 6-3 at home. Woodard was honored alongside other youth players as “Rising Stars” of the game.
Earlier this year, the Capitals also provided a $10,000 grant to the Maryland-based Bowie Hockey Club. Woodard plays for the club and a portion of the grant was used to support him with an ASL interpreter and special hockey equipment.
In addition to his work on “The Last of Us,” Woodard has also earned acting roles on film projects such as “Fractal” and “Seeds of Hope: The Andrew Jackson Foster story.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ‘The Last of Us’ actor Keivonn Woodard meets Alex Ovechkin
