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Ireland captain Caelan Doris, Ronan Kelleher and Tadhg Furlong have been ruled out of Saturday's Six Nations game against Wales in Cardiff (14:15 GMT).
Leinster back row Doris has picked up a knee injury, while hooker Kelleher is struggling with a neck issue.
Prop Furlong missed Ireland's wins over England and Scotland, and while the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) said he was "making good progress" on Sunday, he remains unavailable.
After facing Wales, there is another down week before Ireland host France at Aviva Stadium on 8 March.
"We're hoping they'll be available for France, they're just going through their processes they do with the physios, but they're all making good progress," said Ireland attack coach Andrew Goodman.
With Ulster's Iain Henderson and Cormac Izuchukwu also ruled out, Ireland called up six players on Sunday, including Stuart McCloskey, Jacob Stockdale and Nick Timoney.
Munster forwards Gavin Coombes and John Hodnett and Leinster back row Diarmuid Mangan were also added to interim boss Simon Easterby's panel on Sunday.
"There are some guys who have been playing well for their provinces in those positions that are ready for an opportunity, so it's exciting for them," added Goodman.
When asked who will captain Ireland against Wales in Doris' absence, Goodman said: "There's some good leaders in the squad.
"The leadership group's been growing well over the past couple of years and there's a number of players who have captained their provinces, so we have some good options there."
When pressed for the frontrunners for the captaincy, he added: "You've got guys like Peter O'Mahony and Jack Conan who have captained their provinces, Dan Sheehan, Ringer [Garry Ringrose], JR [James Ryan], Cian Prendergast - there's a number of players with leadership experience."
England make one change as Chessum starts at lock
Chessum has not started for England since he played in the back row during the defeat by France on the final day of last year's Six Nations.
Borthwick has rewarded the Leicester Tigers forward with a starting berth against the Scots following his tireless performance from the bench against Les Bleus earlier this month.
Chessum was also influential in shoring up the line-out, from which England were able to launch an attack which ended with Elliot Daly's match-winning try.
The 24-year-old has endured a torrid time on the sidelines - he was first ruled out of England's summer tour of Japan and New Zealand after shoulder surgery before sustaining a knee injury in the autumn.
Borthwick, who coached Chessum at Leicester before taking charge of England, says the forward's return has boosted the rest of his squad.
"Very early on when I was at Leicester Tigers, he [Chessum] was identified by all the coaches as a guy who was going to grow into a big leadership role," said Borthwick.
"Earlier this season he captained Leicester Tigers for the first time and, from every report I received, did it really well.
"He's grown into a line-out leader and caller which wasn't something he'd done previously. He's applying himself diligently to do that.
"All that points to a guy who wants to improve himself. He has the respect of everybody. He's had a couple of injury setbacks and worked incredibly diligently to get back.
"When he walked back into the squad you could see how happy everyone else was. He has a presence and a positivity about him that rubs off on everyone else."
Meanwhile, former England wing Chris Ashton says Chessum's versatility is a useful tool for Borthwick's side.
"[Chessum] is like an Allen key, he just sorts everything out," Ashton told BBC Rugby Union Daily.
"That ruck needs clearing - 'I'll sort that.' He needs an inside carry - 'I'll get on that.'
"Line-out jump? 'Yeah I'll do that.' Kick-chase? 'I'll go back and get that.'
"He does things that people don't even notice but you need these people that make the team tick by the amount of work he does."
SEBRING, Fla. Pato OWard was quickest overall as the countdown to the NTT IndyCar Series season accelerated Feb. 17 during the first of two days of testing at Sebring Intl Raceway.
OWard led the overall time charts with a top lap of 52.3470 seconds during the morning session in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet on the 1.67-mile short course at the historic circuit in Central Florida.
The 26 participating drivers were separated into morning and afternoon groups, with each receiving four hours of track time.
Oh, man, its the best feeling in the world; its the best job in the world, OWard said. I was so excited to come back to Sebring and get into an IndyCar Series car, getting to work with the engineers again. It definitely feels like home, and its a second family to me. So always excited to get rolling.
Marcus Armstrong was second overall with the quickest time in the afternoon session, 52.3675, in the No. 60 SiriusXM Honda of his Meyer Shank Racing teammate Felix Rosenqvist. The Swede was ill with a fever and didnt participate.
In the end, we limited the running on the 60 car to save tires for Felix, but I feel really fresh, Armstrong said. Feel like I havent done anything. Feel like I could do it all again. So happy that Im not tired after doing so many laps.
The time sheets showed there was no clear advantage in track and weather conditions during either of the two sessions. Three of the five quickest times came in the morning, two in the afternoon. The top 10 times overall were split evenly between the two groups.
Two-time defending and three-time series champion Alex Palou was third overall at 52.4948 from the morning session in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Honda. Conor Daly produced a strong afternoon session in the No. 78 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet, ending up fourth overall at 52.5931.
We were fast all day in our group, Daly said. So, thats really encouraging. We made a lot of progress with a lot of changes that we wanted to get through. And thats what this testing is for. Its so important. To be fast and at the front, thats our goal every day.
Christian Lundgaard rounded out the top five at 52.6626 in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, as he helped the team put two cars in the top five. Lundgaard joined Arrow McLaren after driving for the last three seasons for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
Arrow McLaren wasnt the only team flexing its muscle in the Florida sunshine. Juncos Hollinger Racing, one of the smaller teams in the series, put two cars in the top six when Sting Ray Robb ended up sixth overall at 52.7761 while running in the morning session in the teams No. 77 Chevrolet. Robb joined Juncos Hollinger after driving last season for A.J. Foyt Racing.
There was one incident with contact. Nolan Siegel was unhurt in the afternoon session after hitting a barrier at the exit of Turn 7 in his No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.
Drivers combined to turn 1,311 laps between the two sessions. But one driver whose track time was limited was six-time series champion Scott Dixon, who turned only two laps in the afternoon in his No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda due to a mechanical problem.
SEBRING, Fla. IndyCar Series teams hit the track on Monday for the first day of IndyCar Spring Training at Sebring Intl Raceway.
Another full day of testing is scheduled for Tuesday as teams prepare for the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Feb. 28 to March 2.
IndyCar enters the 2025 season with a new television partner as FOX Sports launches its inaugural season of IndyCar coverage with the seasons first practice in St. Pete on Friday, Feb. 28 on FS1.
All 17 races for the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series season will air on FOX, with two additional days during PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying May 17-18 ahead of the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge creating a series-record 19 network windows.
The NTT IndyCar Series is the only premier motorsport series in North America with all races broadcasting on network television.
All IndyCar programming also streams live on the FOX Sports app.
This will be a season of unrivaled exposure for the NTT IndyCar Series, IndyCar President Doug Boles said. With phenomenal support of our sport across multiple massive platforms including Super Bowl LIX FOX Sports has proven to be a superb partner and promoter. With the season approaching, we know their unique style of engaging and innovative broadcasts will continue to raise the bar and drive an unparallelled growth opportunity for IndyCar.
As IndyCar moves forward with a new partner, the series announced several updates on Tuesday.
Lap counts at several IndyCar races have been extended, creating added dynamics for race teams.
Five laps have been added to the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, which will now be 90 laps. Ten additional laps have been added to the races at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, which will now be 90 laps in length.
The Hy-Vee IndyCar Race weekend at Iowa Speedway doubleheader will increase by 25 laps to 275 laps for each of the two races.
Five laps have been added to Toronto for another 90-lap event and 19 laps have been added to the final race of the season at Nashville Superspeedway for a 225-lap contest.
The Hybrid Assist Unit was unveiled at Mid-Ohio on July 7 midway through the 2024 season but will be utilized at every IndyCar Series race in 2025.
The hybrid assist developed specifically for IndyCar through a first-of-its-kind collaborative effort by Chevrolet and Honda provides an added boost of 120 horsepower when used with traditional Push to Pass on road and street circuits. Used in tandem, a total of 800 horsepower is available to drivers for the first time in two decades.
New this season, use of the hybrid power unit will be allowed to start or restart the 2.2-liter twin- turbocharged V-6 engines on pit lane. As in 2024, hybrid assist will be allowed to restart a stalled race car on the race track on non-ovals.
From its full-field integration at the Milwaukee Mile Open Test on June 11 through the end of the 2024 season, 94,244 miles were completed with the system. Overall use and influence of hybrid assist increased race-over-race on road and street circuits and ovals.
Twelve of the 14 on-track passing records broken last year came after the introduction of the hybrid power unit.
Some IndyCar Series practice sessions will have an updated look in 2025.
At select road and street circuits (Streets of St. Petersburg, Long Beach, Detroit and Toronto and Barber Motorsports Park, Road America, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and Portland Intl Raceway), weekend tire allotments this season will include:
-One additional set of Firestone Firehawk alternates (five total).
-One less set of Firestone Firehawk primaries (five total).
Race teams will be allowed the freedom to use their weekend allotments as they see fit, reserving one set of new alternates, per the rulebook, for use during the race.
Tire allotments for event weekends at The Thermal Club and Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course remain unchanged from last year.
Also, on road and street circuits, split group practice sessions in Practice 1 will expand to all tracks except for Road America and its lengthy 4.014-mile layout. All cars will receive an initial 45-minute practice session before the start of two 10-minute segments, with groups split by odd and even numbered pit boxes. As in qualifying, the clock in Segments One and Two will stop for the first red-flag condition of each practice segment.
Popular high-line practice sessions will continue on all short ovals in 2025. The additional track time allows for drivers and teams to work in the upper groove of the race track, providing more grip ahead of the race.
An annual IndyCar review also has led to adjustments to procedures and rules for the upcoming season:
Ahead of a race start on ovals, there will be a mandatory pair up location with one to go to reduce the chance of incident and the need for waved off starts.
Where feasible for oval restarts, IndyCar will extend the beginning of the restart zone to give the leader wider discretion on the choice to accelerate. The ending location of oval restart zones will remain the same as in previous seasons.
A multistage pit lane speed limiter, as utilized at pit in at Road America and at pit out at World Wide Technology Raceway and Nashville Superspeedway, will be expanded to pit lane entry at WWT Raceway, Iowa Speedway and Nashville.
The 2024 road and street circuit restart line, where drivers must remain in single file and are prohibited from passing until reaching the designated line in the last corner, remains intact for 2025.
Additional EM Motorsport light panels, first used in 2022, will be used at all circuits. The additional lights will enhance the forewarning of conditions, particularly around blind corners.
Also, for safety, drivers will be alerted of local yellow conditions by a notification on driver cockpit dashes in addition to the light panels and traditional cloth flag notifications at marshal posts around each circuit.
Also noteworthy, alternate tires at Nashville Superspeedway again will be available for the 2025 IndyCar season finale at the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix. Last season, the championship race featured 653 on-track passes the most on record for the series at the track.
For the first time, an entire Indy NXT by Firestone season will be featured on live television. Announced in Dec. 12 Indy NXT races will appear live on FOX Sports FS1, with two airing on FS2.
Additionally, all practice and qualifying sessions for the IndyCar Series development series will air on a combination of FS1 and FS2.
After last season averaged the most starters (19.5) since 2009, the 2025 season is expected to match or exceed that number in a field featuring drivers from 10 countries.
Chip Ganassi Racing will add even more intrigue to the championship as it fields cars in Indy NXT for the first time since 2007.
Building on the series continued momentum, 2024 featured on-track passing records at four circuits, with qualifying records broken at six. Sixteen of the 33 starters in last years Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge were graduates of Indy NXT.
The pathway to North Americas premier open-wheel series once again features a purse of $1.4 million. The series champion will receive $850,000 to be applied to a rookie oval test, the Indy 500 Open Test and Rookie Orientation Program, an entry for the 2026 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge and an entry for an additional 2026 NTT IndyCar Series event.
The 2025 championship team will receive a prize of $35,000.
The Incredible Career Of Racing Pioneer Earl Cooper
Racing Hall of Famer Earl Cooper was one of the most formidable racers of his era and, perhaps, among the best from any era.
He displayed remarkable versatility, competing on dirt ovals, superspeedways, road courses and board tracks to win AAA National Championships in 1913, 1915 and 1917 against the likes of Tommy Milton, Ralph DePalma and Jimmy Murphy.
Cooper was born in Broken Bow, Neb., on Dec. 2, 1886. When he was five his family moved to San Jose, Calif., a fortuitous move for Coopers future. For even at the dawning of the automobile age, California was a hotbed of racing activity.
As a teenager he found work as a mechanic in C.H. Letchers garage, and in 1904 he helped Letcher prepare a Cadillac for a race at San Joses Agricultural Park. With Cooper only 17, Letcher decided to race the car himself.
Desperate to race, Cooper borrowed a Cadillac from one of the shops lady customers. At the races halfway point, Cooper blew by his boss for the win. None too happy about his employees perceived betrayal, Letcher fired Cooper.
Cooper wasnt out of work, or off the race tracks for long. Inspired by his initial success, he pursued racing on the dirt ovals scattered throughout California. By 1910, Cooper was so dominant the magazine Horseless Age claimed he was ruining racing by winning so frequently.
That caught the attention of the automotive manufacturer Harry Stutz, who latched onto the young talent. Cooper successfully raced the white No. 8 Stutz factory car from 1912 until Stutz pulled out of racing in 1916.
With the outbreak of World War I, Cooper semi-retired, racing only sporadically after the hostilities ceased. However, he became restless and returned to the cockpit in 1922, competing for another four years.
Naturally talented as a driver, Cooper was equally an excellent mechanic and engineer. He designed and built successful race cars after retiring. His on-track success materialized because he blended those abilities with meticulous preparation, cool-headedness and intense focus.
Perhaps theres no better example of this than his 1913 victory in the Corona Grand Avenue Boulevard race. The city of Corona had built a 2.75-mile, circular track around the city. Originally intended for horses, the city converted it into a paved boulevard for the new horseless carriages.
To celebrate the grand thoroughfares opening, a 300-mile auto race was promoted, attracting racings most prominent names. Cooper started preparing a month early. He camped nearby, daily testing tire and speed combinations. Though capable of running quicker, he determined that a 79-mph pace would suffice. Any faster and tire wear would jeopardize victory.
So as Barney Oldfield, Ralph DePalma and Spencer Wishart battled at over 90 mph, Cooper let his strategy play out. Multiple pit stops forced others out of contention, while he led the most laps and won easily.
Strangely, Cooper competed in two races simultaneously that afternoon. The first race was for 250 miles, for engines up to 450 ci. The second race was an open-class event, of an additional 50 miles.
Cooper received the checkered for the first race, and the green for the additional distance, taking that win and with it the $5,200 grand prize. The two wins ensured his first national championship.
1913 was also Coopers first year at Indianapolis. Although not entered, he relieved teammate Gil Anderson before a broken cam put the car out of the race. Cooper ultimately ran Indianapolis seven times and was consistently a favorite for a win.
He set track records there. In 1926, he captured the pole and led the race. But as it has for many great drivers through the decades, victory eluded him at the Brickyard. He did come tantalizingly close in 1924.
From his sixth-place starting spot, he raced into the lead on lap 42. A blown tire put him to the rear, but he fought his way back to the front and was again leading at the 400-mile mark when another tire blew. He still managed a second-place finish.
Afterward, while his mechanic bemoaned their loss, Cooper seemed unperturbed. Interrupting, he said, Never mind that. I saw this redhead in the stands where I stopped when the tire blew. Thats the most beautiful woman Ive ever seen. Im not going to rest until I know her name.
He did come to know it and married her.
That couldve been American racing hero, Earl Coopers finest display of coolness and intense focus in the heat of a race.
The Ultimate Improving Machine: BMW Trending Up in 2025
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. It may not have been obvious to the outside world, but BMW M Motorsports Le Mans Daytona h (LMDh) prototype program made a great deal of progress in 2024.
On the surface, it was a challenging season for the Munich marque as its pair of entries dropped from sixth and eighth in the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championships Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class standings to seventh and eighth. But the year ended on a high note, with the BMW M Hybrid V8 earning its first on-the-track victory in international sports car competition at the six-hour TireRack.com Battle On The Bricks at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway a commanding 1-2 finish for BMW M Team RLL, no less.
That trend of improvement carried over into 2025, as BMW M Team RLL turned in strong performances at Daytona International Speedway in both the Roar Before The 24 test session and the Rolex 24 At Daytona. It came with a thoroughly revised driver lineup, as BMW believes having its core drivers pull double duty with BMW M Team RLL in IMSA and BMW M Team WRT in the FIA World Endurance Championship will strengthen the overall effort by speeding up the development of the BMW M Hybrid V8 common to both series.
Philipp Eng is BMWs only full-season 2024 IMSA driver returning in 2025, joined full-time this year by Dries Vanthoor in the No. 24 car. Meanwhile, Sheldon van der Linde and Marco Wittmann command the No. 25 car. The lineup for IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup races expands to include Kevin Magnussen in the No. 24 and Robin Frijns in the No. 25. The two teams were joined at Daytona by Raffaele Marciello and Rene Rast, respectively.
The philosophy seemed to pay immediate dividends at Daytona, as a BMW placed first or second in all five dry test sessions at the Roar, with Vanthoor fastest overall in the No. 24. Vanthoor maintained that form in Rolex 24 qualifying as he earned BMWs first Motul Pole Award in the current era of GTP competition.
Clearly when you have a good sanctioning test and a good Roar, it always helps for going into the race week, observed Andreas Roos, head of BMW M Motorsport. On the other hand, we know testing is testing and racing is racing. But we felt strong. We had a good run through all the sessions, and for sure, the pole position from Dries Vanthoor was amazing. Super pleased to get our first pole position with this car.
When we started the program, we were late with the decision to enter and we always had to catch up, Roos added. But I think especially from the middle of last year, we saw some great development in terms of our performance. We were getting there. It looked quite promising for us, and we knew we still had some things to tweak on the car to make it even better.
Roos confirmed BMW has deployed one of its available performance evo joker updates.
We used the small winter break that we had to improve that in testing. We took a joker on the car on the brake system side, he said. This is nothing which improves the lap time, but more the consistency and drivability of the car, which also in the end helps the drivers to perform consistently over 24 hours.
Higher Expectations
BMW was unable to add a second GTP win at Daytona, but the BMW M Hybrid V8 continued to demonstrate its pace. Vanthoor built a 25-second lead at the start before full-course cautions brought him back to the field. The No. 24 led a total of 90 laps and ran second for the final restart, when it incurred damage to the nose after contact with the No. 60 Acura Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06 that ultimately finished as the runner-up to the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963.
The No. 24 BMW finished fourth at Daytona, while the No. 25 also led laps but was delayed and lost several laps during its overnight brake change, claiming seventh in the GTP class. BMWs also clocked the two fastest race laps, with van der Linde in the No. 25 car quickest at 1 minute, 35.858 seconds (133.684 mph) and Vanthoor in the No. 24 just over a tenth of a second off. Both BMWs ran all 24 hours without any mechanical problems.
Obviously finishing P4 in a 24-hour race is not the end of the world, stated Vanthoor. But at the end of the day, its very sad to fight for 22 hours and to come home with a podium, which we for sure deserved. I feel sorry for the guys who have been working very hard, and also to my teammates. Most important is that we showed that we were strong and able to fight.
For Roos, the benefits from consolidating BMWs worldwide driver lineup are already showing dividends.
I would say it is clearly paying off, Roos said. The fact that the season starts in January with the 24-hour race at Daytona is very beneficial for us. This allows us to have all eight drivers together for an extended period early in the season, helping us to optimally synchronize with each other. We did a lot of development from the start of the program, and we clearly realized that the (IMSA and WEC) cars are very specific. We had a lot of drivers jumping from one car to the other and we clearly saw that we wanted the (WEC) Hypercar drivers to focus more on the Hypercars.
Sheldon and Dries will do the double duty, which not only helps us with the exchanges on the engineering side, but now we also have a big exchange with drivers who run both championships, he continued. This helps us to accelerate the program and share the information. For us, its a win-win situation. The drivers get more seat time, which is always beneficial to improve the speed and feel more comfortable and confident in the car, and we have the ability to share information.
Both van der Linde and Vanthoor have a couple other things in common: they were both part of BMW M Team WRTs FIA WEC lineup in 2024 and theyve both got older brothers who race successfully. Sheldons older brother Kelvin is a BMW factory driver as well and competed at the Rolex 24 with Paul Miller Racings BMW M4 GT3 EVO in the Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) class. Dries older brother Laurens is a Porsche factory ace and emerged victorious ahead of Dries in the Rolex 24 in the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963.
The younger van der Linde is keen to take on the double duty challenge, even if it means a punishing trans-continental travel schedule.
Luckily I dont have a wife and kids! joked van der Linde. Well, not lucky, but its good timing for me, lets put it that way. Im 25 now, I live alone in Munich. There are a lot of positives. Im racing less than last year, but Im probably going to be on the road more.
Last year I did DTM (German Touring Car Championship) and WEC as well, so I was jumping from GT3 car to Hypercar, he continued. Thats not an easy transition, and I think the fact Im committed to one car now is really going to set me up to get used to the car and exploit those last few tenths. When you jump into the GT3 car, it always takes you a session or two to get back into the rhythm again. Whereas now you jump straight back into the car and youre on it from lap one and you know exactly what to expect. Just small things like the steering wheel buttons or whatever.
Roos is confident that BMW has the potential for a breakout season in IMSA in 2025.
We must take the positives from Daytona: The strong trend from 2024 clearly continues, we were able to build on it and field a competitive car in the GTP class, he said. There are things we are still working on and for sure, because its very competitive in IMSA and WEC with all the manufacturers. You always have to get everything together and work on every single bit.
Vancouver Canucks forward Drew O'Connor agreed to a two-year, $5 million contract extension on Tuesday.
O'Connor, 26, has recorded two goals in four games with the Canucks since being acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins on Feb. 1.
"Drew has really made a good first impression since joining our team from Pittsburgh at the beginning of the month," Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin said. "We like his size, speed and ability to get in on the forecheck and hound pucks. Our staff also feel confident that they can help Drew take his game to another level and we are excited to see what the future holds for him with the Vancouver Canucks."
Vancouver traded defenseman Vincent Desharnais and forward Danton Heinen to the Penguins in exchange for O'Connor, defenseman Marcus Pettersson, forward prospect Melvin Fernstrom and a protected 2025 first-round draft pick.
O'Connor has 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists) in 57 games with the Penguins and Canucks this season. He has 68 career points (32 goals, 36 assists) in 214 games since making his NHL debut with Pittsburgh in January 2021.
Capitals commemorating Stanley Cup celebration with plaque at Washington Harbour fountain
When the Washington Capitals won the Stanley Cup in 2018, their celebration was one for the ages.
It was a party that raged everywhere: the National Mall, a Washington Nationals game, "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon" and perhaps most famously a fountain in Georgetown where captain Alex Ovechkin frolicked half-naked.
It was June 9 when Ovechkin and teammates T.J. Oshie and Tom Wilson followed up keg stands at a waterfront bar with a swim in the Washington Harbour fountain.
Ovechkin doffed his shirt before diving into the fountain, joining his teammates as they made "snow angels" and danced in the water with fans who joined the party.
This season marks the Capitals' 50th anniversary as an NHL franchise. On Friday, they'll commemorate that infamous aquatic Stanley Cup celebration with the unveiling of a special permanent plaque at the fountain.
The Capitals announced today plans to unveil a special permanent plaque in commemoration of the 2018 Stanley Cup championship celebration at @TheWashHarbour fountain in Georgetown.
The unveiling will take place at the Washington Harbour Ice Rink on Friday, Feb. 21 at 5 PM.
Washington Capitals (@Capitals) February 17, 2025
The plaque will read: "Home of the 2017-18 Washington Capitals Fountain Celebration" and "In Vegas They Became Champions ... Here They Became Legends."
It will be placed on the fountain tower in the middle of what's currently an ice rink for the winter.
Nicklas Backstrom and Oshie -- members of the 2018 and current Capitals who are on long-term injured reserve -- will take part in the ceremony.
Ovechkin said at a fan event in 2019 that swimming in the fountain was the craziest part of their Cup celebration.
"We had a couple beers. Osh and Tom came to me like, 'Hey let's go swim in the fountains.' I said, 'OK, let's do it, we're champions,'" he said, via Russian Machine Never Breaks. "There were policemen and we said, 'Hey, is it OK we're going to do it?' And they were like, 'You can do whatever you want, guys.' So I think it was a pretty fun moment for all of us and for you guys as well."
Club Brugge coach Nicky Hayen has said he would be talking to his dead mother before Tuesday's second leg of their Champions League playoff against Atalanta, keeping up a pre-match ritual he feels helps him.
"Before the match I always talk to my mother, who passed away four years ago, much too early," he told a press conference on Monday as Brugge prepare to defend their 2-1 lead from last week's first leg in Belgium.
"Last year before the [Belgian league] playoffs I told her we wanted to do something crazy, and in the end winning the title was the result.
"Am I deeply religious? No, but I do feel that it is something for me. I must believe there is something," Hayen added.
The 44-year-old was thrust into the Brugge job in March last year on an interim basis and then turned around the club's fortunes by guiding them to the Belgian championship.
He signed a permanent deal as coach in June and has steered Brugge into this season's Champions League playoff, plus second place in the Belgian standings.
He said he expected a tough night in Bergamo on Tuesday.
"Atalanta will definitely play more attacking. At home they also want to be more dominant. They also have the team for that, so we expect a difficult evening," he said.
"We have to play our own game and especially show the tactical discipline of last week.
"My plan for the match hasn't changed because it was 2-1 last week. We did very well, because Atalanta is a very strong team. I believe in my squad. We play with a lot of guts in this Champions League, but that mustn't turn into naivety."
Inter Miami's Major League Soccer season opener against New York City FC will now be played on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. ET at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, after originally being scheduled to kick off at 2:30 p.m. ET.
The decision to delay the game by five hours comes due to the postponement of the Concacaf Champions Cup match between Inter Miami and Sporting Kansas City.
The two teams were set to face each other on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET in Kansas City, but the regional governing body moved the match to Wednesday due to severe weather conditions around the city.
Multiple winter storm warnings were issued, stating that Kansas City could see 5-7 inches of snow with temperatures as low as 5 degrees.
The first leg of the first round CCC match will now be played on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET with predicted temperatures of 3-5 degrees.
"The decision to reschedule the match has been made to prioritize player and fan safety, and in close coordination with the two participating clubs and the local authorities," Concacaf said in a statement.
New Inter Miami manager Javier Mascherano revealed in the prematch news conference that both teams agreed to change the date of the match date given the difficulty of playing in harsh conditions.
"It's not just a matter of the game, if the snow falls like they say is going to fall, we believe that the city is going to completely collapse, so people won't be able to go to the field, the accesses may be closed. Many times you only think about the game itself and not everything that surrounds it," Mascherano said Monday.
Sporting Kansas City's MLS season opener against Austin FC at Q2 Stadium is set to be played at 9:30 p.m. ET and is not expected to be delayed or postponed due to the Concacaf Champions Cup match.
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