Hockey players are famously superstitious athletes. As Washington Capitals fans know, team captain Alex Ovechkin has some particularly quirky routines.
Over the years, Ovechkin has made headlines for his heavy pre-game meal from Mamma Lucia’s, drinking Pepsi from the bench during games, and even biting teammates like Andre Burakovsky and Jakub Vrana. During warmups, Ovechkin does the same stretches, sprays a water bottle in the same place, crashes into the same spot on right side glass, and takes one-timers from the same spot — his office — before departing for the locker room.
The Capitals captain’s strict superstitions are so well-recognized other players have tried to interfere in order to get the edge. Ahead of Game 2 of the 2018 Stanley Cup Final, then-Vegas Golden Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fleury used his water bottle to spray the ice in the same spot Ovechkin had just sprayed as part of his typical warm-up routine (Spoiler: It didn’t work. The Caps won 3-2).
Call them weird or just unconventional, Ovechkin’s superstitions have been nothing short of alchemy for his career. Centerman Dylan Strome revealed some details behind how he and other teammates have broken down the science behind one in particular: His Subway sandwich order.
“We’re big superstition guys on this team,” Strome told the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast on April 8. “We’ll catch him sometimes, you’ll ask him ‘Hey, what’s on the sub [sandwich] today?’ And [John] Carlson’s going down the list of like what he’s got on it like what sauces he’s got on it… One day is no avocado, one day is avocado and then we’ll think back, ‘Oh did [Ovi] score last game and like [if he did], ‘Got him!'”
Ovechkin revealed in 2022 that he orders a footlong spicy Italian with “double cheese and extra mayo” before every team flight to an away game. According to Subway, the sandwich also includes spicy pepperoni, salami, and cheese. You can also toss on peppers, oil, vinegar, or “anything else your taste buds desire.”
Late in his career, Ovechkin has always been seen walking on the tarmac at Dulles International Airport and boarding the club’s plane with a Subway sandwich and a bag of Cheetos in his hand. In fact, he was spotted with that exact combo ahead of the team’s trip to Long Island where he passed Wayne Gretzky for most career goals after scoring career goal No. 895.
Strome described how the locker room admires his ability to stick to a regiment no matter how eccentric it is.
“He’s just so fun with everything, like he’s just like a guy’s guy and you know the Subway [and Cheetos] is the big one, I think that he always enjoys,” he continued. “And we joke because we call like it’s his stitch like a superstition when he walks on a plane, I mean there’s a billion [more] stories but I’m sure those will come out.”
Like the old adage says, if it’s not broke, don’t fix it. Ovechkin’s routines and superstitions have allowed him over the course of 20 seasons to claim multiple NHL records, awards and a Stanley Cup.
He and Strome will be looking to lead the Capitals to the franchise’s second-ever Stanley Cup title after seeing an 18-point and 10-win improvement from last year’s finish as of Sunday. The latter credits the team’s ability to gel so well after more than a half dozen additions were made to the roster in the offseason.
“It’s exciting going into, going into this last stretch here and into the playoffs because I feel like that’s what wins you games is that team confidence and we’ve had it all year,” Strome said. “The vibes are incredible, new guys have fit in like unbelievably well. You know, the whole thing has just been a storybook year so far and we’ve got a lot left to write but it’s been hard to describe how good it’s been.”
The Capitals already clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and will either play the Montreal Canadiens or Columbus Blue Jackets in round one of the Stanley Cup Playoffs which begin on April 19.
