Trent Frederic became a household name among Capitals fans for the chaos he caused and the violence he endured during the 2020-21 season. The scrappy Bruins forward fought Tom Wilson twice (43 only fought 5 times all year) and enraged Alex Ovechkin so much that the Capitals superstar speared him in the Frederics 😬, earning Ovi a fine from the Department of Player Safety.

Frederic talked about his combative interactions with the Caps during an interview of the Cam & Strick Podcast last month.

And you guys, it’s great stuff.

“I started [playing this way] in the AHL,” Frederic said of his sandpaperyness. “The way the schedule worked out we played teams 10 to 12 times a year. That’s kind of how it started. Just gradually, I got more and more into it.”

Frederic first got on the Capitals radar in February when he goaded Wilson into a fight, taking the first-line foward off the ice late in the game.

The Bruins would capitalze and win 5-3 after scoring four third-period goals. “I appreciate [Tom’s] toughness and physicality. But we appreciate him on the ice as well,” Peter Laviolette said then.

Later in the year, the chippiness ramped up to an extraoridinary degree after Frederic delivered a questionable hit to Ovechkin from behind in a March 3 game. Frederic dropped the gloves with Ovechkin, but the Russian machine did not respond in kind. Later, Ovi pitchforked Frederic in the peen as retaliation. You can read all about it in the RMNB story entitled, Trent Frederic dropped his gloves to fight Alex Ovechkin. Ovi was like ‘lol get off the ice.’ Later, Ovi high-sticked him in the balls.

“Sounds weird but it didn’t hurt,” Frederic said on the podcast. “No lie. Shock Doctor cup.

“We played them five or six times at that point and he’s the best player,” Frederic continued. “Obviously, I’m going to hit him every chance I get. He didn’t like that. I think earlier in the game, I went to go hit him and he fell. He thought I like tripped him or something. I thought he was going to drop them on me (fists) or something. I didn’t know. So I dropped my gloves. I thought he was going to throw. I’m not going to get jumped by him. He might drop me on my knees.”

As you might have guessed, the Capitals bench did not approve of the rookie’s attention to its captain and unmercilessly chirped Frederic as he skated off the ice.

“They had some good lines,” Frederic said laughing. “‘He’s got more goals than you’ve got shifts.’ I was like, ‘That’s probably right.’ No one chirped my red hair maybe because it’s not so red anymore. I make sure I put water in it before every game.”

As for Wilson, Frederic said he never met the Capitals enforcer off the ice where the hosts of the podcast, former NHL fighter Cam Janssen and NHL insider Andy Strickland, admitted, quite adamently, that Wilson was a good guy. Frederic pointed out that they were able to get to know each other just fine on the ice.

“With no fans in stands, after you fight you can kind of hear what each other’s saying,” Frederic said. “I think we played them in game 56 (the last game of the year) and he was just like, ‘Hey, don’t do this s^&t tonight.’ He was pretty much like, ‘Knock that s^&t off’ and I was like, ‘Dude, I haven’t played in like 10 games.’ That typically wouldn’t happen but we were playing them in the playoffs the next game. Half our team’s playing and their whole team is playing… I wasn’t making deals.”

Frederic then criticized the Capitals winger and made reference to the Brandon Carlo hit that got Wilson suspended seven games.

“He’s got that red brain,” Frederic said. “He snaps, kinda loses it. I think I do, but I probably wouldn’t run someone from behind.”

As for his fights with Wilson, Frederic admitted that they were tough bouts.

“I didn’t really have that many good fights this year. I got a McGregor record lately,” Frederic joked. “I was better in the minors.”