Ilya Kovalchuk will become the first Washington Capitals player ever to have a Russian-language goal song, according to the team’s social media accounts.
Alex Ovechkin (‘Shake, Rattle, & Roll’), Evgeny Kuznetsov (‘Get Low’), and Dmitry Orlov (‘Oh Yeah’) previously chose English-language songs. We’re allowed to pick “French, Spanish, English, but not the Russian for some reason, it is not allowed,” Kuznetsov said to the Washington Post’s Samantha Pell in November. The arrival of Kovalchuk apparently has lifted that ban.
The Capitals released an updated list of players’ goal songs that included the picks of the team’s new additions at the trade deadline: Kovalchuk and Brenden Dillon.
Ilya Kovalchuk – ‘Moya Igra’ by Basta
Kovalchuk went with Basta, a 39-year-old Russian rapper, producer and radio host. The song’s title ‘Moya Igra’ means “My Game” and was Basta’s first solo single in 1998, but has since been re-recorded. One interesting fact about the artist is that, according to Wikipedia, Basta has been banned from entering Ukraine because he performed in Crimea after it was annexed by Russia. Kovalchuk has long had ties to Russia president Vladimir Putin like Alex Ovechkin.
Brenden Dillon – ‘Go Bang’ by Pnau
Pnau is an Australian dance music trio from Sydney, Australia. The group had a famous apprenticeship under musician Elton John, after the famous pop singer signed them in 2016. ‘Go Bang’ won the group’s third ARIA Award for Best Dance Release in 2018.
Other goal song changes include Dmitry Orlov, Jakub Vrana, Michal Kempny, and Tom Wilson.
Dmitry Orlov – ‘Numb’ by Linkin’ Park
Jakub Vrana – ‘Simon Says’ by Pharoahe Monch
Michal Kempny – ‘Semi Charmed Life’ by Third Eye Blind
Tom Wilson – ‘Boom’ by Tiesto and Sevenn
Here are all of the Capitals’ goal songs.
