- 2 months ago
There are a ton of great changes coming to Capital One Arena, and it’s just in time for an incredible season from the Capitals and Wizards! Zach Leonsis stopped by The Sports Junkies this morning to break down these remarkable changes that will have fans fired up!
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00:00Studios, EB during the break right before he came on, he goes, I need a massage.
00:04I need a massage.
00:04He's like, don't they have somebody here?
00:06Can't you guys get it?
00:07Might as well get an MRI while I'm here and get a massage.
00:10You guys got it all.
00:11That's for the athletes.
00:12It's not for the DJs swinging by for a day.
00:14Just stiff.
00:15All right, joining us right now is Zach Leonsis, who is, I'm looking at the title,
00:19President of Media and New Enterprises.
00:21Yes.
00:21What are the new enterprises?
00:23Let's start there.
00:24New enterprises?
00:24I mean, it's a lot new.
00:26Well, I mean, obviously our new enterprises are like our technology initiatives, e-sports,
00:31our acquisitions, corporate development activities.
00:34But I think what you're referencing is all the work that's been happening at Capital One
00:37Arena.
00:38Pretty cool.
00:38And so we're just about to wrap up our second of three summers.
00:43I think when we started this project, this felt like, gosh, like three years is going to
00:46crawl.
00:46I can't wait to get to the end.
00:48We're over halfway there.
00:50And so, you know, our fans who are entering the building this year, I think they are going
00:54to start to feel like, hey, this is an under-construction project.
00:59And we're going to dress it up and obviously make sure it's a great experience for our fans.
01:02They're going to see some new things coming online, new bathrooms, some new suites, new
01:09expansion to different parts of the building and whatnot.
01:12But really, it's going to be the fall of 2027 where I think the great unveil.
01:18I want to rewind for a second.
01:19How old were you when your dad started getting into sports?
01:22I think my father purchased the Capitals in 2000, 2001.
01:27So 25 plus years.
01:30So you were 13 years old.
01:33How exciting was that?
01:34I want to go back to like, I mean, that's amazing to like getting to the world of sports,
01:40you know?
01:40Oh, of course.
01:41I mean, you know, as I was a little kid, I think one of the first sort of seminal moments
01:46in my fandom career was watching the Capitals go to the Stanley Cup final, of course.
01:52Yeah.
01:52So, you know, I was old enough to understand the gravity of that moment and old enough
01:58to sneak out of my room at night and watch the games in Detroit that were happening later,
02:03you know, past my bedtime and whatnot.
02:05That result wasn't what Caps fans wanted, obviously.
02:07It wasn't, but that run was incredible.
02:10Yeah, it was awesome.
02:10Yeah, definitely.
02:10And I think, you know, the fans fell in love with some of our players like Oli Kolzig and
02:14Chris Simon.
02:16And so, you know, by the way, that Detroit team that the Caps played was pretty good.
02:21They were pretty good.
02:21They were pretty good.
02:21You go through that lineup and it was pretty good.
02:23Hall of Famers everywhere.
02:24Yeah, that was pre-Sally.
02:25But just to make the Stanley Cup was awesome.
02:27That's when you guys were practicing in Gambrals, Odenton or whatever.
02:31Piney Orchard, whatever it was called.
02:33From where the organization was then to where the organization is today in terms of the size
02:38of the fan base, the popularity of the team, the relevance to the brand.
02:41It's standing across the NHL.
02:44It's sort of standing in terms of being a winning organization, infrastructure, resources,
02:50practice facility, arena, new building.
02:52Think about Bowie State.
02:53I mean, no disrespect to Bowie State, but that's where the guys, where the Wizards would, you know,
02:57have their training camp, practice, et cetera.
02:59And now the facility they have, which is unbelievable, where the Mystics played.
03:02Well, we shouldn't take it for granted, too.
03:05I mean, I think back then, you know, you would look at teams like the original six and you'd
03:08go, gosh, they had, you know, the Montreal Canadiens have these legendary figures like
03:12Guy LaFleur and Bobby Hall in Chicago.
03:15It's like, well, now we've created that.
03:17We've got Alex Ovechkin.
03:18We have Nicholas Backstrom.
03:19We have these great players who made such an impact on our team and our community.
03:24And that legacy lives on today to some of our younger players who understand that there's
03:30a commitment to excellence and an expectation that we're going to compete at the highest
03:35level.
03:35And I know you guys just had Joe and Craig on talking about the team.
03:39Pretty deep lineup.
03:41We're really, we couldn't be more excited for this year.
03:43Pretty aggressive making moves, bringing new talent in.
03:46Chris didn't mess around, man.
03:47No, they're pretty deliberate in terms of what they want to do.
03:50And they've been very wise in terms of managing the cap and preparing themselves to take advantage
03:56of some of these moments, too.
03:57And so I think we're the biggest team in the league, as well.
04:01We might be the biggest team in NHL history.
04:03Wow.
04:03Isn't there going to be one line, like 700-plus pounds?
04:06We had them last year between the Protos brothers and Tom Wilson.
04:09I think you're pretty big on the basketball side, too.
04:12Oh, yeah.
04:13We will be pretty big.
04:14I think, you know, if you take our starting five and you were to line them up with their
04:18wingspan, I think we close in on 65 or 70 feet.
04:22So, I mean, you know, people will talk about, like, are they going to be a good defensive
04:25team?
04:26We're going to have growing pains.
04:27The guys are going to have to learn.
04:28But that's a lot of wingspan to get through, to cut through to the middle.
04:32Well, I tell you, so as you probably know, we were going back and forth.
04:35Who are we going to be?
04:36Is it going to be AJ?
04:36Is it going to be Darren Peterson?
04:37Whatever.
04:38And I was kind of lobbying for it.
04:39No, there's no doubt.
04:39I was lobbying for Peterson.
04:41And then I saw AJ get off the plane with you guys.
04:43It's kind of that iconic photo that I think did you put out there.
04:46And I went, oh, my God.
04:48They made the right guy.
04:49Because sometimes you can't, you know, you see these guys are so huge.
04:51You can't really see it.
04:52And then all of a sudden, like, oh, they got a freak.
04:55They got, like, Len Bias of 2026 or whatever.
04:58And it made all the sense in the world.
05:00He's been great so far with the community and everything else.
05:02And as a fan, I think a lot of us that are Wizards fans, we haven't been this excited in
05:07a decade plus for the season.
05:09When you combine that with what the Caps have going on, what a super exciting time.
05:12I appreciate that.
05:13And I feel the exact same way.
05:14I mean, I think we're delighted with the work that our front office has done with the Wizards.
05:19These last three years have been very challenging.
05:22I mean, we're at all the games.
05:23It's not fun sitting through some losing seasons.
05:26But sometimes you've got to take your medicine to think about the long term.
05:30Did you have to remind yourself?
05:32We're trying to build a long-term, sustainable window for winning.
05:34And that involves drafting young players, freshmen and sophomore guys who are going to be getting a lot of playing
05:39time, making a lot of mistakes.
05:41It doesn't always translate to wins.
05:43And then you've got to get a little lucky.
05:44And we got lucky, obviously.
05:46And, you know, our guys play their cards close to the chest.
05:50But I think they were pretty solidified in the pick they won.
05:52All along.
05:52But when you're in the stands and you're watching the losing happening over and over again, do you have to
05:58remind yourself, like, don't be impatient.
06:00Don't be impatient.
06:01No.
06:01They have a plan in place.
06:03Yeah, because I think we're really confident in the group that we have.
06:07And every game you see, we would see those sort of flashes of improvement from the young guys who we
06:12think are going to be with us for, you know, 10 years plus.
06:16And that's what we're trying to build.
06:18You know, Trey Young joining the team.
06:20Anthony Davis joining the team.
06:21Those are really exciting players to add to our roster.
06:25They're going to make us competitive very quickly.
06:27But really, they complement and help foster the growth and development of our young players.
06:33And so when I think about the trajectory of our team, you know, I think it's possible that, you know,
06:38our best teams for the Wizards might not be till, you know, the 29-30 season or whatnot.
06:43And we're going to be on sort of, we want to be on sort of an escalator going up gradually
06:48every year.
06:48And, you know, you see that with so many other teams that have rebuilt.
06:53Oklahoma City wasn't the championship caliber team it is overnight.
06:57Neither was San Antonio.
06:59Neither were the Washington Capitals.
07:01And so, you know, we want to get to a next step.
07:03We want the team to qualify for the playoffs.
07:05And then after they make the playoffs, we want them to try to win a playoff series and take those
07:09incremental steps towards the ultimate goal.
07:12We want to try to win a championship one day.
07:13You know, every time we come here, you're in charge of all this monumental stuff.
07:17It blows me away.
07:20Just the facilities that you have here.
07:23I mean, it's just, it's incredible.
07:24It's nice of you to say.
07:25No, it really is.
07:26And it's an honor to broadcast from here.
07:28And it just feels, wow, it's really special to do that.
07:30What are some of the exciting things that you guys are excited about with Monumental?
07:33Well, the building renovation is obviously probably number one.
07:38You know, I think that what you see in the studio and in our production facility and investments that we
07:43made that, frankly, we didn't have to make, but we wanted to do it right.
07:46We didn't want to be penny wise, pound foolish.
07:48We wanted it to look great for our fans.
07:51It's a taste of what the building and the interior of the building can look like.
07:56And so, you know, I'm anxious.
07:58I'm antsy for people to see that in the fall of 27.
08:01You know, like I mentioned, when people walk into the building this year, it's going to be the pardon our
08:06dust season.
08:07And so I think fans are going to have to be patient.
08:12And, you know, we had a level set with them on what they're going to see.
08:15They're going to see scaffolding outside of the building all season long.
08:19And so trust us.
08:20We saw it on the way in.
08:21We saw it trying to find the garage.
08:23It looks like it's hard to put in that driveway.
08:24We saw it in that driveway.
08:25We saw it in that driveway, practically.
08:26That's okay.
08:27I get it.
08:27I was prepared for it.
08:28But I think our fans, you know, obviously, are smart enough to understand that good things are coming.
08:32And that's why we try to publish all these renderings and show what it's going to look like.
08:36Believe it or not, that's what's happening behind some of these walls.
08:39But they'll notice some things right away inside.
08:41They will.
08:41And as the season goes on, we're going to take down some temporary walls.
08:45You know, parts of the exterior facade of the building are going to be exposed and starting to come online.
08:50And so people are going to see the progress in front of their eyes, which I think will be very
08:56satisfying, obviously.
08:57So, you know, the parts that came online last season were very exciting for some fans.
09:03I think more fans are going to experience some of the new parts of the building.
09:07The vault suite.
09:08Elite.
09:09They are a great experience.
09:10But, you know, we need to move beyond that, obviously, and get to every single fan.
09:15You know, the point of this renovation is to improve the experience for everybody.
09:19And, you know, we're going to get there.
09:21And so the expansion of the building is going to start to feel very real next season.
09:27So we're excited about that.
09:28Very cool.
09:29And the Mystics are playing good basketball.
09:30The Mystics have already qualified for the playoffs.
09:33I think that, you know, as we started the season, we had the youngest team in the WNBA.
09:39And, you know, playoffs were a reach goal.
09:42And they, you know, they made the playoffs several weeks ago, way ahead of schedule.
09:48And so Sonia, Kiki Iriafen, Shakira Austin, Georgia Amor, Lauren Betts.
09:57I don't think any team wants to play us.
09:59Georgia Amor.
10:00She's a hokey.
10:01Yeah, she's a spark plug.
10:03And so, you know, our team really loves each other.
10:07We've got a great gelled group.
10:08They love the coach.
10:10I think he should be in the running for coach of the year in the WNBA, frankly.
10:15And they believe, they're confident, and they're not afraid.
10:19Sometimes, you know, it pays to be sort of, you know, young and not know better and not be afraid.
10:23I think that's them this year.
10:25I think that's them this year.
10:26And so they're going to play one game in Capital One Arena on September 24th.
10:30And then they'll head into the playoffs.
10:32We'll see who we play.
10:34There are obviously a lot of good teams out there.
10:36It's been a great year for the team.
10:38We expect that, you know, this is the beginning of an ascent for that team as well.
10:43And the W's been in the news this summer.
10:45Certainly, there's a lot of talk about the W.
10:47It's pretty popular these days.
10:49So it's cool thinking about a reality where, you know, we could be opening this brand-new renovated building
10:55and hopefully having three playoff teams, three competitive teams that are all playing in the same building,
11:02heading into the postseason.
11:04So that's what we've got to work towards.
11:06Zach, you told us that it's been two years.
11:08We should definitely not wait two years to do it again.
11:10Why can't we do this next year?
11:12I know.
11:12Every year.
11:13Absolutely.
11:13It was great.
11:14I love you guys here.
11:16We're the Junkies coming back with Paul Toboni, President of Baseball Operations of the Washington Nationals,
11:20next here on The Fan.