On the first day of training camp before the 2017-18 season, Alex Ovechkin uttered a phrase that would ultimately prove prophetic for the season. Seeking to quell doubts about the quality of the Capitals squad after the loss of several players, Ovechkin told the media, “We’re not going to be suck this year.”
Ovechkin would eventually repeat those words nine months later from the podium at the Capitals Stanley Cup Championship Parade.
Since then, Ovechkin’s catchphrase has spawned t-shirts, a beanie, and even a Jeep. Now, Ovechkin’s “Not Going to Be Suck” catchphrase has been adopted by a local church.
Citizen Heights is a Christian church with locations in Tenleytown, DC and Fairfax, Virginia. A new sermon series was created by Citizen Heights’ lead pastors, Michael and Heather Giroux. (No relation to Claude… we assume.)
Here’s a photo of the poster from the church’s Instagram page.
Giroux explained the meaning behind the church’s new catchphrase in a sermon on April 28.
There’s something about how Jesus designed the church that makes it attractive and at the same time, unstoppable. When church looks like that, it’s amazing. You know I’m a sports fan, and if you’re around here you know we ‘Rock the Red’. We’re ‘All Caps’ up in this place here. We love our world-champion, Stanley Cup-winning [Washington Capitals]. Recently eliminated, but we’re still world champions for a few more weeks.
Quite famously last year we were struggling at the beginning of the year and they interviewed our star player, Alex Ovechkin, from Russia. They interviewed him and they said you’re having some struggles and he got frustrated at a point in the interview and he said ‘Listen!’ in his Russian accent. ‘We’re not going to be suck.’ And then they went on and won the Stanley Cup.
I think there’s something about a declaration and a commitment. So today we start a new series, titled ‘A Church That Won’t Be Suck.’
The name of the sermon series is on a banner in front of the Tenleytown church and there are also stickers and t-shirts with the catchphrase.
This is not the first time that Giroux has paid homage to the Capitals in his Sunday sermon.
When the Capitals won the Stanley Cup last June, Citizen Heights held a “Rock the Red” event the following Sunday. Giroux delivered his sermon wearing an Ovechkin Capitals jersey and he brought a replica Stanley Cup for the congregants to take photos with.
“We’re not worshipping it,” Giroux joked when his congregation cheered for the replica Stanley Cup as it was brought to the front of the stage. “But next communion, we are drinking out of it.”
S/T to @therealdeol on Instagram for the heads up
Headline photo: @kjc89 on Instagram
