Playing imaginary trumpets, biting each other, and screaming. These all sound like things kindergartners would do but they’re actually part of an intricate and bizarre pregame warmup for the Washington Capitals.
Wednesday, friend of the blog, Miranda, traveled up from DC to catch the Caps-Flyers game at Wells Fargo Center. From her perch before warmups, she got a first-hand look at the Capitals getting ready in the tunnel.
It’s a lot.
Video
A quick summary:
- Ovi comes out and yells right in Gudas’s face
- Ovechkin and Wilson engage in a special handshake
- Gudas, Ovechkin, and Wilson re-arrange their positions in the tunnel like they’re trying to do a jigsaw puzzle
- Jonas Siegenthaler does his special handshakes with Wilson and Ovechkin
- Michal Kempny comes out and engages in special handshakes with every player including getting in a very-close staring contest with Wilson
- Braden Holtby high fives Ovechkin
- Holtby starts slamming his right pad with his stick and begins hopping
- Holtby does some shimmy shakes and now he’s doing giant frog leaps into the air
- John Carlson comes out and high fives a very in-the-zone Holtby. It feels dangerous.
- We’re blocked by Holtby’s body, but it appears Ovechkin checks Carlson’s cup with his stick
- Finally, we’re on the ice now, and Ovi is watering the ice with blue Gatorade
It’s good to remind people that these weirdos are the best team in the league and there’s a method to their madness…
I hope?
