Besides all the winning and Ovi goals, the most fun development of the 2024-25 Washington Capitals happens privately inside the locker room before games. The new tradition was first revealed on social media October 22 before the Washington Capitals took on the Philadelphia Flyers.
Veteran defenseman Dylan McIlrath read out the starting lineup instead of Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery, firing the team up in an epic way.
Dylan McIlrath: Lappy, are you gonna be goin’ tonight?
Hendrix Lapierre: Yeah, I guess.
Dylan McIlrath: LAPPY, ARE YOU GONNA BE GOIN’ TONIGHT?!?!
Hendrix Lapierre: OF COURSE I’M GONNA BE F***ING GOIN’!!!
Dylan McIlrath: LET’S GO BABY, COME ON! YEAH, THAT’S RIGHT.
Dylan McIlrath: Not starting but we got Mikey [hey!], Dewey [hey!], Willy [hey!], Chych [hey!], Carly [hey!], Chucky!
Not only was McIlrath’s read entertaining, but the moment noticeably fired up the Capitals, who romped the rival Flyers that night 4-1. McIlrath even got in a first-period fight with Nic Deslauriers, throwing hands for nearly a minute straight.
According to McIlrath, the Capitals have been doing the special reads since the second game of the regular season — October 15 against the Vegas Golden Knights.
“Yeah, it started the first game I was in the lineup,” McIlrath told RMNB. “I think the way it goes here, we keep it going as long as you win. So yeah, first one, just kind of started something with Lappy, he didn’t expect it, and then I kept the train rolling, just going with what works. And yeah, it’s fun. It’s a way to get the boys fired up. I try to put a fun little spin on things and keep it light.”
McIlrath’s reads ended after the Capitals were shut out by the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-0 on October 26. Andrew Mangiapane was the next player to step up on October 29 against the New York Rangers.
The Capitals won three games in a row before the Carolina Hurricanes sent Washington packing with a 4-2 loss on November 3. The next player tasked with the important responsibility was offseason acquisition Pierre-Luc Dubois. With a thick French accent, PLD announced the first line was starting, including Alexandre, better known to us as Alex Ovechkin, against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“We have Mitch Love, who usually picks that out, and then if we get a point in that game, that player will continue to do the read,” head coach Spencer Carbery explained.
The 2024-25 Capitals won eight of their first 10 games of the season, tying for the best start in team history.
While this is a small part of the team’s game-day routine, the lineup read seems to have been successfully turned into a motivating tactic by the competitive Carbery while also bringing the team closer together.
