The Washington Capitals held ‘First Responders Night’ Thursday ahead of their game against the San Jose Sharks
WASHINGTON — Two weeks from Thursday is the one-year anniversary of the DCA air disaster where 67 people were killed over the Potomac River. At Capital One Arena. it was First Responders Night where members of DC Police and DC Fire & EMS were honored.
Assistant Fire Chief Danny McCoy with DC Fire & EMS was one of four first responders at Thursday’s game who went to work that tragic night.
“To have the DMV rally behind us, especially rally behind first responders, and support us and continue to support us and the families, it’s been over for almost a year, is gigantic,” said McCoy. “It’s emotional and it’s a big deal.”
Before the Capitals and Sharks squared off, the home team rolled out the red carpet for these heroes.
“I’ve never dropped a puck before,” said McCoy. “My kids asked if I was going to put ice skates on and my wife was like, absolutely not.”
McCoy’s moment on the ice before the game brought back memories from last January that still feel fresh.
“Walking out there, I’m thinking about that night. I think we all talked about it beforehand,” said McCoy. “We’re grateful to be recognized as first responders, but it was sad. It’s still sad and a lot of families are still recovering and working through that. A lot of first responders are still recovering and working through that and it’s going to take a lot of time to heal.”
McCoy says that’s exactly what this night did, but he’ll never forget those that experienced the ultimate loss.
“You try to be tough, right? You want to be strong,” he said. “You want to remember that as bad as we may be feeling, it doesn’t compare to what the families are feeling, right?”