Tom Wilson says Aliaksei Protas is basically Alex Ovechkin’s personal chauffeur: ‘He’s always driving Ovi wherever he wants to go’

Aliaksei Protas and Alex Ovechkin
📸: @TheHersheyBears/X

Tom Wilson and New York Islanders superstar defenseman Matthew Schaeffer recently took time out of their busy schedules to participate in a skate with the Ottawa Children and Youth Blind Hockey Program, as part of an NHLPA partnership with Amazon.

During the event, the talented pair took questions for a social media video, where we likely learned how Alex Ovechkin ended up in Hershey, PA for their home playoff game on Thursday.

When asked who on the Washington Capitals would make the best Amazon delivery driver (Bezos really should pay me for writing this), Wilson eventually named Aliaksei Protas.

“For us, probably Ovi because he’s always, I mean, I think — actually no,” Wilson stammered before finding his real answer. “It would be Protas because he’s always driving Ovi wherever he wants to go, so he’s used to it.”

Wilson was also asked if he could buy a teammate something on Amazon, what would it be?

“I would buy Brandon Duhame a new wardrobe,” Wilson quipped.

Wilson and Duhaime had several run-ins about fashion during the past season. Wilson, who apparently is the team’s lead fashion cop, forced Duhaime to wear suits as punishment for an outfit he didn’t like.

“Unfortunately, if you show up with a bad fit, you can have to wear a suit for two weeks,” Duhaime said. “You’ve got a suspension.”

When asked to identify who was the one making those decisions, Duhaime quickly outted Wilson.

“Tom would probably be the guy,” he said. “Tom gave me a two-week suspension for having a great outfit, I guess. I just got off that suspension, and last game was my first game back. This is strictly based on if he likes it or not. For the most part, he’s usually wrong.”

In the final month of the season, Wilson even took to his Instagram Story to poll his followers on whose outfit was better on the Capitals team plane.

Tom Wilson and Brandon Duhaime pose together in a photo
📸: @tomwilson/Instagram

While the video was heavily promotional, the event was for a good cause as Amazon’s partnership with the NHLPA will yield more than $1 million CAD to local community organizations in 32 North American cities during the 2026–2027 hockey season.

RMNB is not associated with the Washington Capitals; Monumental Sports, the NHLPA, the NHL, or its properties. Not even a little bit.

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