MONTREAL (AP) — Washington Capitals center Dylan Strome learned during the first intermission Thursday night against the Montreal Canadiens that wife Tayler had given birth to their third daughter.
“There was just so many emotions going through my mind,” said Strome, with tears streaming down his face after assisting on three goals in the Capitals' 8-4 victory. “First of all, you want to make sure everyone’s OK, it’s a pretty scary thing. At the time of the first period, I kind of thought I was going to make it home in time, maybe. Obviously, that didn’t happen.”
The couple named the girl Sutton Kimberley.
Strome said his wife “felt it” two hours before the 7 p.m. puck drop and gave birth at 7:30 p.m. He said there was no way to get back in time and emphasized the sacrifices Tayler makes while he spends so much time on the road.
“Really proud of her,” Strome said, pausing at times to get the words out. “It’s tough, and you obviously want to be there for the birth of your children and didn’t know it was coming this soon, but can’t wait to go see her. … It’s something that I don’t think I’ll ever experience again, hopefully no one does, kind of just feeling helpless.
“We got two young ones at home, and she’s taking care of both of them while I’m gone. I had to call in some reinforcements for her to go to the hospital. It’s a crazy thing that definitely hockey was not really on my mind going out for the first period, but I got the call after the first that she was there. So it’s incredible and I can’t stress enough how super proud I am of her.”
Strome won a faceoff to set up Alex Ovechkin’s opening goal and later fed the Washington captain on a 2-on-1 to make it 6-4.
“Since like first shift, I think Stromer was feeling it,” said Ovechkin, who added an empty-netter for a hat trick. “I think he was unstoppable today.”
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Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin (8) celebrates his hat trick against the Montreal Canadiens with teammates Dylan Strome (17) and Anthony Beauvillier (72) during third period NHL hockey action in Montreal on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s handpicked board voted Thursday to rename Washington’s leading performing arts center as the Trump Kennedy Center, the White House said, in a move that made Democrats fume, saying the board had overstepped its legal authority.
Congress named the center after President John F. Kennedy in 1964, after his assassination. Donald A. Ritchie, who served as Senate historian from 2009-2015, said that because Congress had first named the center it would be up to Congress to “amend the law.”
Ritchie said that while Trump and others can “informally” refer to the center by a different name, they couldn’t do it in a way “that would (legally) stick.”
But the board did not wait for that debate to play out, immediately changing the branding on its website to reflect the new name.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters that legislative action was needed, “and we’re going to make that clear.” The New York Democrat is an ex officio member of the board because of his position in Congress.
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the vote on social media, attributing it to the “unbelievable work President Trump has done over the last year in saving the building. Not only from the standpoint of its reconstruction, but also financially, and its reputation.”
Trump, a Republican who's chairman of the board, said at the White House that he was “surprised" and “honored” by the vote.
“The board is a very distinguished board, most distinguished people in the country and I was surprised by it and I was honored by it,” he said.
Trump had already been referring to the center as the “Trump Kennedy Center.” Asked Dec. 7 as he walked the red carpet for the Kennedy Center Honors program whether he would rename the venue after himself, Trump said such a decision would be up to the board.
Earlier this month, Trump talked about a “big event" happening at the "Trump Kennedy Center” before saying, “excuse me, at the Kennedy Center,” as his audience laughed. He was referring to the FIFA World Cup soccer draw for 2026, in which he participated.
A name change won’t sit well with some Kennedy family members.
Maria Shriver, a niece of John F. Kennedy, referred to the legislation introduced in Congress to rebrand the Kennedy Center as the Donald J. Trump Center for the Performing Arts as “insane” in a social media post in July.
“It makes my blood boil. It’s so ridiculous, so petty, so small minded,” she wrote. “Truly, what is this about? It’s always about something. ‘Let’s get rid of the Rose Garden. Let’s rename the Kennedy Center.’ What’s next?”
Trump earlier this year turned the Kennedy-era Rose Garden at the White House into a patio by removing the lawn and laying down paving stones.
Another Kennedy family member, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., serves in Trump’s Cabinet as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Trump showed scant interest in the Kennedy Center during his first term as president, but since returning to office in January he has replaced board members appointed by Democratic presidents with some of his most ardent supporters, who then elected him as board chairman.
He also has criticized the center’s programming and its physical appearance and has vowed to overhaul both.
Trump secured more than $250 million from the Republican-controlled Congress for renovations of the building.
He attended opening night of the musical “Les Misérables,” and last week he served as host of the Kennedy Center Honors program after not attending the show during his first term as president. The awards program is scheduled to be broadcast by CBS and Paramount+ on Dec. 23.
Sales of subscription packages are said to have declined since Trump's takeover of the center, and several touring productions, including “Hamilton,” have canceled planned runs there. Rows upon rows of empty seats have been seen in the Concert Hall during performances by the National Symphony Orchestra.
Some performers, including actor Issa Rae and musician Rhiannon Giddens, have scrapped scheduled appearances, and Kennedy Center consultants including musician Ben Folds and singer Renée Fleming have resigned.
AP writer Hillel Italie contributed to this story from New York.
FILE - A memorial wreath stands next to the bronze memorial bust by Robert Berks of President John F. Kennedy in the grand foyer at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Nov. 22, 2013, on the 50th anniversary of Kennedy's death. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
FILE - The John F. Kennedy Center Memorial Center for the Performance Arts illuminated as part of the "Nordic Cool 2013: Northern Lights" exhibit, in Washington, Feb. 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
The Kennedy Center is seen Thursday, Dec, 18, 2025 in Washington. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
President Donald Trump finishes his remarks in an address to the nation from the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, in Washington. (Doug Mills/The New York Times via AP, Pool)
