Red Rising: The Washington Capitals Story

Internet entrepreneur Ted Leonsis cashed in “his startup Redgate Communications” and indulged in a fantasy by purchasing the National Hockey League’s Washington Capitals. The Capitals are an expansion team that made regular trips to the playoffs, but had only one, unsuccessful, appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals in 1998. Leonsis lost money initially and traded most of his team for draft picks and prospects, the prize being future MVP Alexander Ovechkin. Sportswriter Starkey (Washington Times) focuses on the years 2003–2011, during which Leonsis oversaw the rebuilding of the Capitals into one of the most popular teams in hockey. Starkey interweaves the successful farm system with Leonsis’s business acumen and shrewd trades that resurrect the franchise in his account of their as yet unrealized quest for the Stanley Cup. He relies heavily on quotes from players, coaches, Leonsis, and the media, sometimes to the point that it is difficult to determine the voice. He never cedes the narrative to those voices, however, in a story that is as much about the popularity of American sports as it is about a hockey team. Photos. (Sept.)