Kerry to send off Olympic athletes at Caps game

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Secretary of State John Kerry will send off a group of Olympic athletes on Thursday before the Washington Capitals game in Washington, D.C.

The Capitals will play Canada’s Winnipeg Jets at the Verizon Center that evening, and members of various Olympic hockey teams will be on hand to drop the opening puck with Kerry.

{mosads}“As part of his visit, Secretary Kerry will participate in a ceremonial puck drop with Olympians from both teams prior to the game. Secretary Kerry will also address the Capitals in the locker room prior to the team’s pregame warm-up,” the State Department announced in a statement on Tuesday. 

John Carlson, who plays for the Capitals, will play on the United States team at the Sochi winter Olympic Games, which begin later this week. The Jets’ Blake Wheeler will also compete at the Olympics on the American team.

Other hockey players at the Thursday game will play for their native countries, including the Czech Republic, Sweden, Russia and Finland.

Kerry is a hockey fanatic and frequently plays the sport. He injured himself last year after playing a game.

At a White House ceremony to honor his hometown team, the Boston Bruins, for winning the Stanley Cup, Kerry displayed the swollen nose and two black eyes he suffered from a recent game.