From NHL.com's Tom Gulitti:

Fatima Al Ali was shaking. The 27-year-old from Abu Dhabi had been through a whirlwind of excitement since arriving in Washington on Sunday. But here she was, sitting on the bench at Kettler Capitals Iceplex on Wednesday, watching Washington Capitals practice and waiting to get on the ice with them to show off her hockey skills.

Al Ali plays for the United Arab Emirates women's national team but she's relatively new to the game. She started playing six years ago. So, yes, she was nervous thinking about getting on the ice with her favorite NHL team and player, Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin.

"Everything," she said of the nerves she was feeling. "Heart beating, hands shaking, legs shaking."

But when Al Ali got on the ice and started stickhandling and passing the puck with the players, something interesting happened. They started talking to her like she was any other hockey player, asking about the sport in UAE, her experiences, about the stick she was using (it was borrowed from T.J. Oshie), and what kind of blade curve she prefers.

And, in that way, it felt like any other hockey practice.

"I was so nervous going on the ice, but once we started talking it just calmed down," Al Ali said. "We're just talking about hockey, something we all share, and something we all love."

Continued, and you can watch a video of Fatima's day below: