Brandon Duhaime’s affinity for players from the Hershey Bears still remains an ever-present theme in the Washington Capitals’ locker room.
Tuesday, after the Capitals’ 3-2 overtime win, Duhaime was asked to speak by Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery to conclude his post-game victory speech.
The Capitals were led by three members from the Bears’ 2023 Calder Cup championship team on the night. Ethen Frank lit the lamp twice, Connor McMichael tallied the overtime game-winner, and Dylan McIlrath had a fight and a big hit that sparked the Capitals to score three unanswered times.
“You could feel it going out there right from the first shift of the third period,” Carbery began. “You could feel we were not going to be denied. The determination of the group, great f***ing job.”
After giving shoutouts to penalty killers, McIlrath, and starting goaltender Logan Thompson, Carbery then turned his head and looked at one particular player.
“The floor for this one needs to go to Brandon,” Carbery declared. “Dewey, what is 53?”
“Best player in the NHL. Hands down,” Duhaime replied.
Frank, seemingly both complimented and embarrassed, responded, “Too far. Not even close. You’re right, it’s not even close.”
Duhaime’s love for Frank follows his earlier infatuation with Aliaksei Protas.
Per an RMNB story from last February:
“Yeah, he’s the biggest Aliaksei Protas fan in, I think, in the history of hockey or the world,” Dylan Strome said. “He just loves the way Pro plays. Like, maybe ten games into the year, Pro is like lighting it up, and then Dewey is on the bench – the puck came around the wall like a rim to Pro, and Pro just made a great play on the wall, and he’s just like yelling as loud as he can, ‘That’s a Hershey product. A Hershey Bears product.’ And everyone’s just dying laughing on the bench mid-game.”
Duhaime’s love of the Bears is strange, as he has zero past connection to the back-to-back Calder Cup-winning franchise. He spent two seasons in the AHL with the Iowa Wild and never played a single game against Hershey.
…
“Yeah, he loves the Hershey products that come through from Hershey to the Caps,” Strome said. “I think he’s the biggest fan of those guys – like he’s all over Franky right now. Loves Frank. Frank is the new Pro, I think, for him.”
“He might have been a Bears fan growing up,” McMichael, a former Calder Cup-winner with Hershey, said. “That’s how much he loves the place. He used to be giving me a lot of love, and now he’s moved on to other guys. I’m done.”
Regardless, no matter if Dewey is being over-the-top or not, Frank did, as Carbery said, an “unbelievable f***ing job” against the Canadiens.
