Didn’t take long for the Capitals to ditch the new white netting installed at Verizon Center this week. Fan complaints during and after Monday’s preaseason home opener against the Columbus Blue Jackets spurred the organization to re-examine the issue. After an on-site look this afternoon with personnel from Comcast SportsNet it was decided the old black Kevlar netting will go back up in time for Friday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres.
“We took a closer look at the Verizon Center protective netting today, and it clearly isn’t what we had anticipated. It hinders the fan experience and it is not an asset to our local rights holder, Comcast SportsNet,” Caps owner Ted Leonsis wrote in his blog, Ted’s Take. “Therefore, starting with Friday’s preseason game, we will reinstall the black netting that had been used last season. We were attempting to improve the arena and television viewing experience, but we fell short of that mark.”
They use similar netting in St. Louis and Philadelphia, among other arenas. But just seeing the netting last night it’s pretty obvious that whatever they’re using at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia is not what went up at Verizon Center. After another look the Caps obviously agreed with that assessment. NHL teams, according to sources, can choose from a list of Kevlar nettings that are already approved by the NHL.
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