Jakob Chychrun has become well known for his eccentricities over the years, whether it be his supposed aversion to light bulbs, dislike of Tesla batteries, or unique “animal-based” diet. While he has seemingly toned some aspects of those things down, Chychrun is still catching some heat from his Caps teammates for the sometimes peculiar food he chooses to put into his body.
According to recent, exclusive reporting from ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski, Chychrun still regularly consumes raw animal hearts and livers. The talented defenseman even brings his own meals on the road in accordance with his strict, personally-curated diet.
“I always overhear [the players] giving him a hard time about all the unique practices that Chychy has,” Caps head coach Spencer Carbery told Wyshynski. “He’s always got his own personal stuff he’s bringing on the bus. And I’m like, ‘Man, that guy is dedicated to his body and his craft and is not going to leave any stone unturned.'”
Chychrun’s quirky dietary habits apparently date back to his teenage years, as his father, former NHL defenseman Jeff Chychrun, set him up with a trainer who put together his meal plans. The level of commitment to his health and putting on size as a young athlete led to some of the same teasing he gets from his NHL peers today.
“At the time, I was so young to be doing that, but I loved it,” Chychrun said. “I was packing my own school lunches. I think all my buddies thought I was nuts back then. So, not much has changed.”
In a Washington Post report from October, Chychrun detailed how he has stripped back his once very stringent, “bio-hacking” type behavior. The life changes have allowed him to ground himself more in his new home of DC, where he’ll be for the better part of the next decade after signing an eight-year, $72 million contract extension with the Capitals last March.
While he is no longer hooking himself up to machines and stressing over a perfect wellness routine, he has kept some of the nutritional habits that have made headlines over the years, like eating raw organ meat. Wyshinski relays that Chychrun prefers the taste and texture of heart to liver.
“Ever since grocery stores, I think we’re just all very insensitive and just out of touch with our food and where it’s coming from,” Chychrun said. “I mean, if you ever have to be on a farm and slaughter your own animal, you’re never going to be wasteful of that food.”
Chychrun’s desire to appreciate all aspects of a protein-rich diet stems from his central goal of cutting out the processed foods that fill the shelves in stores across the United States. His path to doing so has led to talks with his wife, Olivia, about eventually owning their own farm so they can live entirely off their land.
The couple, who got married last February during the 4 Nations-Faceoff break, are expecting their first child this month. They already have a huge Italian mastiff named Bruce in their household.
“If [the food] has a label, we almost try to avoid it,” Chychrun said. “It’s mind-blowing when you’re reading them. You can’t even pronounce half the things on there. You have no idea what it is. They’re just adding a whole bunch of unnecessary stuff that’s clearly making everybody sick. So it’s definitely something to be conscious of.”
The changes to Chychrun’s lifestyle appear to have worked well as he has become one of the NHL’s top defensemen in his second season with the Washington Capitals. The 27-year-old blueliner leads the league in goals from the backend with 15 and is on pace for his first 60-point year since he made his debut during the 2016-17 campaign.
Chychrun’s tremendous start to the 2025-26 season even had him on the shortlist to make Team Canada’s roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics. While he was ultimately unsuccessful in that regard, he’ll continue a campaign with the Capitals that has him on pace to earn some recognition in Norris Trophy voting as the league’s top defenseman come the end of the season.
