County Product Halpern Returns for the Capitals

The Washington Capitals, preparing for last week's season opener against Carolina, ended practice on Wednesday, Oct. 5, with some spirited sprints at the in Arlington, Va.

Head coach Bruce Boudreau and several players pounded their sticks on the ice to encourage teammates at the end of the more than 90-minute practice.

“We were shaking our heads with what was going on. Those are pretty difficult [workouts],” Washington center Jeff Halpern said with a smile as he sat by his locker after practice. “You want to stay in game condition.”

Halpern, 35, is a Montgomery County success story. Born in Potomac, he grew up in Rockville and began playing organized hockey when he was about 3. As a young boy he played on the rinks at and regional parks.

He attended in Potomac for one year before his pursuit of a hockey career took him to a prep school in New Hampshire. Halpern played in college at Princeton and made his debut in the National Hockey League with Washington during the 1999-2000 season, fulfilling a dream that began while growing up watching the Capitals in Landover.

"I suppose I was there when I was a newborn. I have a collection of memories: racing over to games with my family, sitting up in the [Capital Centre], in the upper corners, watching the games," he said in a biography on www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org.

Halpern is a member of the Greater Washington Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

Halpern was with the Capitals through the 2005-06 season, during which he served as team captain. After stints with the Lightning, Kings and last year with the Montreal Canadiens, the only current NHL player to grow up in the Washington metropolitan area is back with the perennial playoff participant Caps.

How does this training camp rate with others in his long NHL career? “Ron Wilson ran a pretty tough training camp,” Halpern said of his former Washington head coach. After two straight days of challenging practices, “Now is the time to do these type of things," he said.

In 2005-06, Halpern played in 70 games with the Caps, amassing 11 goals and a career-high 33 assists. Last year, with Montreal, he played in 72 games, tallying 11 goals and 15 assists. He has 142 goals and 200 assists over a 792-game NHL career.

Halpern, who signed a one-year contract in July and is now living in Bethesda, has been impressed with the Washington franchise since his return. “It is impressive how deep the organization is—and not just the 22 guys that are here now,” he said, noting a strong minor league system. “It is a huge credit to the organization. A lot of the lines are set [days prior to the opener]. Who knows if they will stay together?”

As a center, it is important to work well with teammates, Halpern said.

“You don’t want to put shackles on them. You want to make sure they are on the same page,” he said. “You have to find a way to produce somehow. You have to find a way to contribute offensively. Whatever we can contribute is great. You want to pull your weight.”

The Capitals, once again, have high hopes for the 2011-12 season after another early exit in the playoffs last year to Tampa Bay.

“Most of this group has been together for a while. We are just fine-tuning some things,” said Halpern, who hopes to be part of winning ways this season in his hometown.