in that game. Since then it’s
been a pretty good transition
for me. I’ve come a long
way since that first game in
Philadelphia, and I think I
get a really great chance to
work with some great people
– it has gone a long way in
my development so far.”
It’s not like Bowey hasn’t
had any other opportunities for
development, as the 22-year-old
has had the chance to represent
his country internationally on
three occasions. In 2012, Bowey
played for Team Canada U-18
at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial
Tournament, capturing gold
while getting his foot in the
door with Hockey Canada. In
2013, Bowey laced up for a
second time at the IIHF World
U-18 Championships, taking
home the gold once again.
Although both gold
medals earned overseas were
exceptionally meaningful to
the rugged Manitoban, Bowey
does not consider either of
those national achievements
his most meaningful.
“Every time you get to put
on the national jersey and wear
that flag on your chest it’s pretty
special,” the former Kelowna
Rockets captain reflected. “But
I think for me the biggest one
was winning gold at the World
Juniors. Just because of the
way Hockey Canada was at
th e time, we were in need of a
few gold medals. So that was a
great job to get that one done
on home soil. It was huge –
definitely the most memorable
one. All those tournaments
have a pretty significant place
in my memory and definitely
were really fun times too.”
Hockey just came naturally
for the former Charleswood
resident. Never in his wildest
dreams did a young Madison
Bowey imagine that all the
hours put in on his backyard
rink would lead to full-time
minutes in the greatest
hockey league in the world.
“My dad built a rink in the
backyard every winter,” he said.
“I basically spent my whole days
out on the ice in my backyard.
It was definitely where I learned
to fall in love with the game
2 2 | G AME ON | PL AYOF F EDITION 2018
and really learned how to play
and skate. As a kid I went
through the AA program with
the Assiniboine Park Rangers
before playing AAA with the
Monarchs. Winnipeg was great
to me; I remember having quite
a few good games out at the St.
James Civic Centre back in the
day. And I still come back here to
train with Jon Cara and the guys
at The Rink in the off-season.”
Although he still calls
Winnipeg “home”, Bowey
admits that Washington
has definitely become a
home away from home.
“It’s pretty sweet out there in
Washington,” the rookie said.
“Obviously that city is pretty
special and there is a lot going
on – a lot to do there. I think it’s
definitely a lot different than
Winnipeg, so I kind of get that
opposite spectrum out there;
it’s been great. I love living out
there, it’s not my home, but it’s
definitely a pretty homey place.”
After spending the past
two seasons honing his game
at the American Hockey
League level, the brain trust
of the Capitals felt that the
time was right to bring the
former Western Hockey
League champion out of the
woodwork and into the picture
on the Washington blue line.
“Getting that exposure in the
World Juniors and Memorial
Cup makes the transition that
much easier into professional
hockey,” Bowey reflected. “I
think being in Hershey was a
big learning curve for me; those
two years were filled with a lot
of ups and downs, but in the
end, the AHL is the best place to
work on developing your game.
“Now playing in Washington,
it has been a huge step in the
right direction for my career
so far,” the former Hershey
Bears’ Defenseman of the Year
continued. “The opportunity
came here for me and I just
kind of ran with it. Everything
is so much faster, bigger and
structured here. Once you just
slow it down in your head,
that’s when you can play your
best. For me, the biggest
adjustment was just slowing
everything down and kind of
having a calmer demeanor.
So far it’s just been great.”
Although having spent more
than two-thirds of the 2017-
18 season with the Capitals
through February, Bowey is
still searching for his first
National Hockey League goal.
“The sooner the better would
be awesome,” he said jokingly.
“It’s been a while since I have
scored. If it comes it comes,
if not, I’m going to keep on
working on my game and doing
the little things right. If the
offence comes, I’ll definitely take
that. It’s just something that I’m
still trying to improve on. With
this team, getting the offence
going is pretty easy, so I’m just
going to keep on improving and
finding those quiet areas in the
offensive zone – that’s what
makes my game complete.” ❍