Down 3-0 and facing elimination, Washington Capitals players sported ridiculous new looks for Game Four.
Evgeny Kuznetsov took a razor to his hair and beard, leaving only a goatee. He ended up resembling Walter White from Breaking Bad. Jakub Vrana shaved his head. Several other players, including Alex Ovechkin, TJ Oshie, and Radko Gudas, shaved parts of their playoff beards so they only had a goatee left.
So what was the inspiration behind this? The Capitals weren’t exactly revealing.
“What happen on the team stay in the team,” Kuzy said with murder eyes.
Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov talk to the media after a 3-2 win in Game 4 against the New York Islanders pic.twitter.com/eAWi4sVaZS
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) August 19, 2020
“Uhhhhh, yeah,” Oshie said on NBC Sports Washington’s post-game show, according to the Washington Post’s Scott Allen. “I think the team group chat got going. [Ovechkin] started it and ride together, die together, you know?”
Yeah, okay. A solidarity thing. Got it.
“I think you always try to adapt and do different things that can give you an edge, physically, mentally, and try different stuff to maybe get yourself out of a funk,” Capitals head coach Todd Reirden said. “That’s happened in every sport for years and years. This was an example of different things that went on on our team. Obviously, there’s many other things that go on behind closed doors. We’ve got a strong leadership group. We’ve got a strong bond on our team and belief. If we’re going to get anywhere, it’s going to be together. It was the most buy-in that we’ve had in the playoffs.”
To get out of a funk. Makes sense, yup.
But I’m still left wanting on what inspired it. Let’s try to piece it together.
Hmm… Alex Ovechkin has done playoff goatees in the past. But… that was more for a sponsorship with Gilette and that wouldn’t explain why Kuzy and Vrana shaved their heads.
Let’s see. What were the storylines? Hmm. Oh yeah! Much of the talk heading into Game Four was how Todd Reirden was being outcoached by Islanders head coach Barry Trotz, the Capitals’ former bench boss who led Washington to the Stanley Cup in 2018 and then left the team. Barry Trotz is bald and has a goatee… WAIT!
The more I think about it… did Evgeny Kuznetsov shave his head bald and keep the goatee to look like Barry Trotz?
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) August 19, 2020
Did I just figure it out? This team has made fun of Barry Trotz before after he left. https://t.co/EmkCp8kXh4
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) August 19, 2020
Did I just crack the code? I have no idea. All I know is I love this weird team.
Full RMNB Coverage of WSH/NYI Game Four
Screenshots courtesy of NBC Sports Washington
