Alex Ovechkin seemingly earned admiration worldwide for the Washington Capitals’ legendary 2018 Stanley Cup championship celebrations. Nicknamed the Summer Of Ovi, the Capitals captain introduced the hockey world to Cup stands and fountain celebrations as he and the team partied throughout the offseason.
But for Ovechkin, beer is not only something fun for celebrations. To him, it also serves a practical and strategic purpose.
He recently talked about the role alcohol plays in NHL locker rooms with his friend and blogger Amiran Sardarov. The Great Eight was open about how prevalent drinking is among hockey players after games.
“I don’t hide it,” Ovechkin said per a sports.ru transcription and a translation by Google Translate. “I like the taste of beer. I like light beer, sometimes I can drink Guinness.”
He continued, “I can’t imagine a [player] who says he doesn’t drink, ‘he quit.’ You can take a break for a certain time, but after the game, 2 to 3 cans of beer – with pleasure. It’s useful. In Washington, we have a refrigerator with beer in the coaching room. It’s normal.”
Regarding the benefits of a post-game drink, Ovechkin said of players, “We just like to relax. After hockey, you are tired, a couple of glasses of wine or beer is normal… It relieves tension.”
Sardarov asked Ovechkin what his offseason routines with alcohol are like.
“A little. Two glasses of beer is normal,” Ovechkin said. “There’s nothing special here.”
Things will change, however, when Ovechkin returns to DC for the start of the 2024-25 season.
“When training starts, you have to give it up,” Ovechkin said. “During the preseason, when you are training, getting into shape, trying to lose extra pounds, you try to limit yourself in food and drink.”
That same moderation has not always worked for others in the NHL. Several players, including the Colorado Avalanche’s Samuel Girard and Edmonton Oilers’ Corey Perry, admitted to abusing alcohol last year and needed help to get their habits under control.
“I have made a proactive decision to take care of my mental health, and will be entering treatment for severe anxiety and depression that has gone untreated for too long and led to alcohol abuse,” Girard wrote last November.
Alcohol is a depressant that can become addicting and negatively impact someone’s health, per the NIH. Worldwide, around 2.6 million deaths were attributed to alcohol usage in 2019 alone, according to the World Health Organization.
