Washington Capitals' Concerning Arena Conditions Raise Eyebrows Before Canadiens Series

The Washington Capitals have begun construction on upgrades at Capital One Arena, raising concerns about conditions during the playoffs this year.

This season for the Washington Capitals has been all about Alex Ovechkin and his race to break Wayne Gretzky's all-time goal record.

The Great Eight has certainly had a historic season, putting his name in the record books many times with his accomplishments.

But now the real fun begins as the Capitals were surprisingly one of the best teams in the NHL this year, clinching the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

As a result, the team will play against the Montreal Canadiens in the first round with home ice advantage.

The series is highly anticipated, especially with Canadiens prospect Ivan Demidov adding to the hype and drama.

Unfortunately though, Capital One Arena is currently going through a renovations project, even as the playoffs get underway.

As a result, the visiting locker room is compromised and there are serious concerns about conditions in the building for the players.

'When you walk beneath the stands, it's a never-ending construction zone. There's even a hole in the concrete slab where it's suspected some archaeological digging is going on.

But it's when you get near the visiting team's locker room that it becomes downright unpleasant, with strong smells of industrial glue and paint.

If we didn't know how long it takes to hire a contractor, you'd almost think this was a deliberate tactic to disturb the visiting team.'

Dave Lévesque