Boston was the epicenter of national tragedy Monday afternoon when two separate explosions near the finish line of the 117th running of the city's famed marathon left three dead and nearly 200 injured.
While the Capitals may have been far removed from the horrific events geographically, two members of the team have deep roots in the Boston area.
Defenseman John Carlson spent his formative years in New Jersey, but was born in Natick, Mass., about 23 miles west of Boston.
"It's terrible," he said. "I think people try to put a damper on positive things and in Boston, that's a holiday for them, first off. People come from all over the world to run in the race. People died and people got injured. It really sucks. My cousins have been down there, my cousin ran in it, my aunt and uncle went to go see him and stood right there, I think it was last year. It sucks to think about it.
"I'm glad that everyone that I know is safe; a bunch of my friends live in Boston and you can't reach out to them because there's no cell service. It hits home. It should hit home for everyone, really. It doesn't take being from there to mean anything. Maybe it means a little bit more, but it's a tragedy."
Defenseman Tom Poti is a Worchester native who attended Boston University and still makes his offseason home in the state. Through a team spokeman, Poti declined to comment on Monday's events.
Meanwhile, Coach Adam Oates played for the Bruins from 1992-1997 before being traded to the Capitals.
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“Great people there, great town, I loved it there, I have my home there,” he said. “Great to see everybody come to the aid of everybody there. Very sad day.”
The Capitals announced in a statement that there will be heightened security at Verizon Center for Tuesday's game against the Maple Leafs and all upcoming events at the arena.
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