Monumental Sports & Entertainment served as a production partner for the return of the NHL’s dog rescue program
CLICK HERE for Capitals-related footage from ‘Stanley Pup.’
Washington, D.C. (June 10, 2025) – Monumental Sports Network (MNMT) will broadcast Stanley Pup, a 90-minute special program featuring friendly canine competition, on Sunday, June 15 at 5:30 PM ET. Produced in partnership with Michael Levitt Productions, NHL Productions, and Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), the Stanley Pup returned to celebrate the 2025 Stanley Cup® Final after a successful debut last season.
“Our talented team has once again married the excitement and passion of playoff hockey with the high energy and cuteness overload of local rescue puppies,” said Aimée Brillhart, Vice President of Productions at MSE. “It was a joy to create this with the NHL and an even bigger joy to share the pun-filled festivities with DMV-area hockey fans, dog (and kitten) lovers through Monumental Sports Network – and we’re thrilled that viewers across the country have experienced the magic of Stanley Pup through national broadcast partners truTV, Sportsnet and NHL Network, and its message of pet adoption through our partners at Petco Love.”
As a production partner for Stanley Pup, MSE captured the canine competition before taking it into post-production, where hours of puppy cuteness were transformed into a showcase of their adorable canine skills. Stanley Pup premiered nationally on TruTV on Friday, June 6 for fans in the U.S. and on Sportsnet on Saturday, June 8 for fans in Canada.
The program features adoptable dogs provided by nonprofit organization Petco Love and their partner animal shelters and rescues nationwide. New this year, all 32 NHL teams are represented in the adorable lineup of pups, with dogs available for adoption from many teams’ respective cities. Four of the featured pups are from rescues local to the DMV region, including Brandywine Vally SPCA (Washington, D.C.), Humane Rescue Alliance (Washington, D.C.), Lucky Dog Animal Rescue (Arlington, VA), and Wolf Trap Animal Rescue (Merrifield, VA).
Local fans will recognize several familiar faces throughout the special, including Washington Capitals forward Brandon Duhaime and forward Ryan Leonard making an appearance to introduce dogs available for adoption. The full production features celebrity dog lovers Cedric the Entertainer, Cheri Oteri, George Lopez, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Bublé, Nikki Glaser, Paula Abdul, and Will Reeve.
Sunday evening’s broadcast and subsequent airings will be available to fans both on linear tv and via streaming platforms within the network’s footprint, stretching from Delaware to Richmond. Fans can watch the announcement through their Pay TV subscription, on monumentalplus.com, or by downloading the state-of-the-art Monumental+ app on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Vizio, LG, and Amazon Fire TV and using an eligible TV Everywhere log-in or signing up for an MNMT membership.
The Washington Capitals and the Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation have a longstanding history of supporting animal-related causes in the community. In 2019, the Capitals celebrated the Stanley Cup Playoffs with their inaugural Caps Canines Puppy Playoffs, a hockey game featuring adoptable puppies in a 16-minute game that aired on the organization’s social media channels. The Capitals and the Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation produce a Caps Canines calendar annually, featuring photos of Caps players with their dogs as well as dogs adoptable through the Northern-Virginia based Wolf Trap Animal Rescue. Proceeds benefit Wolf Trap Animal Rescue and Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation.
The Capitals also have partnered with America’s VetDogs to raise two service dogs – Captain, who was placed with a retired U.S. marine upon completing his training, and Biscuit, who now serves as a facility dog at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. In 2024, Nic and Paige Dowd also announced a collaboration through which the couple are sponsoring a future service dog named Judy through proceeds raised via their Dowd’s Crowd community program. Several Capitals players have also participated in Show Your Soft Side, a national anti-animal abuse campaign.
In addition, the team’s Caps Canines Club presented by PEDIGREE invites pet owners to register their dog for the official dog club of the Washington Capitals. Caps Canines gives pet owners the opportunity to get involved with the Washington Capitals through exclusive pet merchandise, events and special offers. In January 2025, the Capitals hosted their fourth Caps Canines Night pawsented by PEDIGREE Foundation. The evening highlights the organization’s efforts around dog adoption and animal-related causes through elements including player arrivals with adoptable puppies, in-game content, and more.
Fans are invited to visit PetcoLove.org/StanleyPup for more information on the all-star pups featured in the show and at their local shelter. Additional highlights from Stanley Pup, including behind-the-scenes content, are available at NHL.com/StanleyPup.
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Monumental Sports & Entertainment is America’s leading integrated sports and entertainment company and is ranked as one of the most valuable globally. Our people, players, teams, and events bring excitement and joy to millions. We invest and innovate to consistently raise the game so we can deliver extraordinary experiences that will inspire and unite our community, our fans, and our people. To learn more, please visit monumentalsports.com.
About Monumental Sports Network
Monumental Sports Network is wholly owned and operated by Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE). The network holds exclusive local television media rights for the NHL’s Washington Capitals, NBA’s Washington Wizards and WNBA’s Washington Mystics games. MNMT is also the TV and digital home to the NBA G League’s Capital City Go-Go and the NBA 2K League’s Wizards District Gaming as well as exclusive behind-the-scenes content and original sports and entertainment programming. The network also boasts the most comprehensive regional high school and collegiate sports programming in the greater Washington D.C. metro area. For more, visit: monumentalsportsnetwork.com.
