Hockey phenom from Abu Dhabi gets her chance of a lifetime
United Arab Emirates player headed to Washington to meet Capitals
Fatima Al Ali loves hockey, which is surprising considering she hails from the desert city of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.
Her passion for the sport and skillful puck handling caught the attention of ex-NHL player Peter Bondra when he visited her city as a hockey ambassador.
This is Fatima. She represents the UAE on their women's national team & it's safe to say she has better hands than me! <a href="https://twitter.com/Capitals">@Capitals</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/MSE">@MSE</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/NHL">@NHL</a> <a href="https://t.co/m4N2IddeRl">pic.twitter.com/m4N2IddeRl</a>
—@PeterBondra12A player for the Abu Dhabi Storms women's team, as well as a coach and referee, Ali has a deep passion for sports, especially hockey. The Washington Capitals are her favourite team and Alex Ovechkin is her favourite player.
Bondra, a Capitals alum, met Fatima while representing the team and coaching at the Pavlikovsky Hockey School program at the Zayed Sports Ice Rink in Abu Dhabi, where Ali's skills were on full display
Here is <a href="https://twitter.com/FatimaAl_Ali">@FatimaAl_Ali</a> at it again! Having fun supporting hockey in the UAE. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GrowingTheGame?src=hash">#GrowingTheGame</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CoolestGameOnEarth?src=hash">#CoolestGameOnEarth</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/NHL">@NHL</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Capitals">@Capitals</a> <a href="https://t.co/zglXsIC0rV">pic.twitter.com/zglXsIC0rV</a>
—@PeterBondra12Hockey is for Everyone
As part of the NHL's "Hockey is for Everyone" month, the Capitals' ownership group partnered with Etihad Airways to surprise Ali with a trip to Washington. The trip will include a chance for the budding sports photographer to meet the Capitals team, and hopefully Ovechkin.
In partnership w/ <a href="https://twitter.com/EtihadAirways">@EtihadAirways</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/MSE">@MSE</a>'s Monumental Global Academies surprised Fatima to be part of Hockey Is For Everyone Month. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CapsHIFE?src=hash">#CapsHIFE</a> <a href="https://t.co/7StdzlXBBI">pic.twitter.com/7StdzlXBBI</a>
—@CapitalsIt's safe to say Ali was blown away by this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Thank you so much <a href="https://twitter.com/Capitals">@Capitals</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/EtihadAirways">@EtihadAirways</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/MSE">@MSE</a> most of all <a href="https://twitter.com/PeterBondra12">@PeterBondra12</a> for making one of my dreams come true ❤ Can't wait till Feb :D
—@FatimaAl_Ali