Following the Capitals elimination in the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Evgeny Kuznetsov decided to retire his now infamous bird walk celly. The Capitals were 0-2 when Kuznetsov opted to use it during the 2017 postseason — falling 4-3 in overtime in the first round to the Leafs, and 3-2 to the Penguins in round two.
“I was told that we lost every time after I did it,” Kuznetsov said to Sport Express’ Igor Eronko. “It’s an old thing though, started all the way back when I was playing the game console. Nothing new.”
On Saturday, after Kuznetsov scored on a breakaway to tie Game Five 3-3, he brought the celly back out of retirement — and he did it for his daughter.
Video
Kuznetsov’s comments begin at the 5:24 mark in the video.
“It’s just emotional, you know?” Kuznetsov said. “My daughter loves that stuff, and I believe she’s happy.”
(Us too, Ecenia. Us too.)
This time around, the celly wasn’t a death knell for Game Five, as the Caps eventually closed it out 6-3. They head back to Pittsburgh on Monday for a crucial elimination game against the Penguins.
