Washington Capitals forward Sonny Milano dressed for the team’s first preseason game against the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday.

Milano’s on-ice talent was on full display as he scored a goal both in regulation and in the shootout. But it was his excitement about the Capitals’ upcoming Chia Pet giveaway that proved to be most memorable.

On January 11, 2024 against the Seattle Kraken, the Capitals will give all fans in attendance a “Milano Chia.” The terra cotta clay head is carved to look like the Capitals forward. If fans spread seeds on the top of Sonny’s clay head, a flowering plant will grow on the top of its head, emulating Milano’s real life curly hair.

The team announced the giveaway in their 2023-24 promotional calendar release in late August.

Screenshot: @Capitals/X

“Everyone back home loves it,” Milano told TNT’s Tarik El-Bashir. “It’s pretty fun. I’m excited about that. I had a bobblehead my first year in the AHL but not a Chia Pet. For sure I’ll keep it.”

It’s for sure way cooler than the bobblehead he received from the AHL’s Lake Erie Monsters back in 2016.

Milano has become well known for his fantastic locks which he told El-Bashir last year he started growing out during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when all of the barbers were closed.

“He said when he got here to DC he had to try a couple of different helmets to find one that felt just right,” El-Bashir added on a TNT TV spot. “I think it’s original, it’s pretty low maintenance as he told me. Just a little coconut oil and he’s good to go.”

Milano was a near instant success for the Caps last season after they plucked him from free agency after a curious offseason where no one seemed to want to sign him. The 27-year-old forward rewarded their trust by tallying 33 points (11g, 12a) in 64 games and the team then rewarded him with a three-year contract extension.

Under new head coach Spencer Carbery, Milano has started Training Camp skating within the Caps’ top-six forward group on a line with Evgeny Kuznetsov and Tom Wilson. The New York native has already responded well to that sort of trust, potting the game-tying goal to force a shootout on Sunday.

Here for the Mo-Milano connection pic.twitter.com/erIgH6cNo1

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) September 24, 2023

“I just ripped it under his stick,” Milano said postgame. “I didn’t really aim. I just tried to get it on net and it went in.”

Screenshot via @Capitals/X