The Washington Capitals have identified their top trash talker.
While two others mounted challenges, Brandon Duhaime reigned supreme as the team’s best chirper. Duhaime collected nods from 7 out of 13 Caps asked.
Monumental Sports Network social media collected the responses while the players got ready to pose for photos and film videos for Caps Media Day at MedStar Capitals Iceplex.
“Even when he chirps you, he’s trying to get under your skin,” Connor McMichael said, “but at the end of the day, it’s too funny.”
Pierre-Luc Dubois perhaps summed up the fourth-line winger best, explaining that his chirps “don’t always make sense” but “they’re just always funny.”
Tom Wilson, a frequent target of Duhaime’s taunts, seemed fatigued by the abuse.
“I just get it the whole year from Dewey,” Wilson said. “I don’t even go after him at all, but it just keeps coming back.”
Outside of Duhaime, Wilson received four votes, finishing somewhat surprisingly behind veteran defenseman John Carlson, who was picked five times — including by longtime teammate Alex Ovechkin. Carlson, who typically appears aloof on the ice, does not show off his personality much either in Capitals videos or with the media.
“Wittiest, I’d say Carly,” Dylan McIlrath said, explaining his rationale. “He’d cut deep.”
“For sure,” Charlie Lindgren added. “Someone messes up, you’re going to hear it right away.”
“(When) he’s scoring in practice, he’ll definitely let you know,” Logan Thompson observed.
Duhaime, the chirp master himself, initially refused to answer because he would have had to do so in front of McIlrath and Charlie Lindgren, and worried they’d make fun of him — further highlighting his quirkiness.
“We have to go over here,” he said, moving not very far away. “I would say Big Mac.”
The Capitals acquired Duhaime in free agency during the 2024 offseason, and he immediately became a core part of a very tight-knit locker room.
Whether by barking like a dog at his teammates, being the biggest prankster on the roster, or even eating the lineup card, Duhaime left his mark on what was a very memorable 2024-25 Capitals team.
