Marty Siegel, of course, is not technically Ted Leonsis, but he’s got more than enough hockey cred. He’s an original Caps season ticket holder, and has stories of sneaking his son into the Cap Centre on his shoulders. He still skates, running an old-timers team in Ashburn. His sons play hockey, too. At 64, he’s 11 years older than Leonsis, but his sons are always telling him how much he looks like the owner.
So he promised them that for this playoff run, he’d grow out the goatee, put on some red, and make a real go of it, calling himself Fred Leonsis if anyone asked. The night started at a local watering hole, where fans were all over him, thanking him for delivering a rare bit of sporting excellence to our win-starved little hamlet. And it continued inside the arena, where he eventually stopped walking and just stood in front of an entrance, soaking in the adulation.
“They have no idea,” Evan shouted into his cellphone a few feet from his dad. “They think it’s him. I’m not exaggerating.”
Will the “real” Leonsis (featured in this story’s photo, you can see fake Leonsis here) please stand up? I’ll leave you with a response from the genuine Ted Leonsis - not “Fred” - from his blog Ted’s Take.
Not sure how I am supposed to react so I won’t other than to say, please email him after the loss last night. He was responsible for this rebuild and for the poor playoff performance and he deserves all of the angst and rage. Thank you.