Every Capitals player given the yellow rope during the 2022-23 season

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The Washington Capitals have been giving out a player of the game award for the last decade and they’ve always been delightful. Nobody can forget the Honest Abe Top Hat and Beard, right?

Since Peter Laviolette arrived in DC, he’s brought his own flavor to the award. During season one, Laviolette gave out Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do headbands to the offensive and defensive players of the game in honor of the show he binge-watched during the pandemic. Season two saw players get axes and shields due to Amazon Prime’s Vikings. But season three has a totally different vibe.

The Capitals are awarding this year’s selected player a yellow rope. The item was gifted by the Arlington Fire Department and was inspired by the hockey cliche, “Everybody pulls on the same rope.”

Along with giving out the symbolic rope, the team added a second part to their ritual: a grip strength test. The player selected uses the device and tries to get a score over 80.

Below is every player who was won the award so far during the 2022-23 season. We’ll be updating this after every win.

Win 1: Erik Gustafsson

The Capitals defeated the Montreal Canadiens 3-1.

Important notes: Tom Wilson and Nicklas Backstrom (who were scratched due to injury) selected the first winner of the rope. Erik Gustafsson scored an 80 on the grip test.

Win 2: Alex Ovechkin

The Capitals defeated the Vancouver Canucks 6-4.

Important notes: Gustafsson passed the rope to Ovi. He also took the polaroid photo of Ovechkin’s grip strength test. While a player shouted “80” from off camera, Ovi did not announce his score.

Win 3: Dmitry Orlov

The Capitals defeated the Los Angeles Kings 4-3.

Important notes: Alex Ovechkin passed the rope to Dmitry Orlov. Ovi took his polaroid picture as Orlov attempted the grip test. His score was not mentioned.

Win 4: Charlie Lindgreen

The Capitals defeated the New Jersey Devils 6-3.

Important notes: Dmitry Orlov gave the rope to Charlie Lindgreen. His official grip test score appeared to be 89 (though the team was shouting many answers).

Win 5: Darcy Kuemper

The Capitals defeated the Nashville Predators 3-0

Important notes: Charlie Lindgreen gave the rope to Darcy Kuemper. He scored a 79 on the grip test.

Win 6: Dylan Strome

The Capitals defeated the Edmonton Oilers 5-4.

Important notes: Darcy Kuemper gave the rope to Dylan Strome. Darcy Kuemper -attempted to- take a polaroid photo of him. Strome’s grip strength score was unclear.

Win 7: Sonny Milano (11/11/22)

The Capitals defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-1.

Important notes: Dylan Strome gave the rope to Sonny Milano. He – claims – to have scored 100 on the grip test.

Win 8: TJ Oshie (11/23/22)

The Capitals defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 in overtime.

Important notes: Sonny Milano gave the rope to TJ Oshie on his returning game. They hugged. Oshie got 80 on the grip test.

Win 9: Darcy Kuemper (11/25/2022)

The Capitals defeated the Calgary Flames 3-0.

Important notes: TJ Oshie gave the rope to Darcy Kuemper. It was his second time receiving the rope. Unclear what Kuemper got on the grip test.

Win 10: Alex Ovechkin (11/29/22)

The Capitals defeated the Vancouver Canucks 5-1.

Important notes: Darcy Kuemper gave the rope to captain Alex Ovechkin. It was his second time receiving the rope. With two goals in the first period, Ovechkin officially passed Wayne Gretzky for most road goals in NHL History. He didn’t announce his grip strength score.

Win 11: Aliaksei Protas (12/05/22)

The Capitals defeated the Edmonton Oilers 3-2.

Important notes: Protas received the rope from Alex Ovechkin. Ovechkin called him “The Big F*&^ing Pro” when handing it to him. Protas tallied the primary assist on Nic Dowd’s game-winning goal. “Let’s keep it going! And we’ll see you on the bus tomorrow,” he said for his speech. He got a 78 on his grip strength score per TJ Oshie.

Win 12: Dylan Strome (12/07/22)

The Capitals defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 4-1.

Important notes: Strome received the rope from Aliaksei Protas. This was his second time receiving the rope. While trying to read his grip test score, Alex Ovechkin interrupts him to point out that it’s Coach Peter Laviolette’s birthday. The team sings “Happy Birthday” to him, a performance so beautiful that Orlov couldn’t contain his laughter in the background.

Win 13: Charlie Lindgreen (12/09/22)

The Capitals defeated the Seattle Kraken 4-1.

Important notes: Lindgreen received the rope from Dylan Strome. This was his second time receiving the rope. He credited the rest of the team and said they “made his job easy tonight.” He scored 85 on the grip strength test.

Win 14: Trevor Van Reimsdyk (12/11/22)

Capitals defeated the Winnipeg Jets 5-2.

Important notes: Van Reimsdyk received the rope from Charlie Lindgreen. Carlson’s yells from behind the camera were so loud and supportive, they could break your speaker. Van Reimsdyk scored an 80 on the grip test.

Win 15: Alexander Ovechkin (12/13/22)

The Capitals defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 7-3.

Important notes: Ovechkin received the rope from Trevor Van Reimsdyk. It was his 3rd time receiving the rope. Ovechkin scored his 800th career goal, becoming only the 3rd player in NHL history to reach that milestone. Ovechkin thanked his teammates for the support, noting he wouldn’t want to have reached the milestone with any other group of people. He did not announce his grip strength score.

Win 16: Erik Gustafsson (12/17/22)

The Capitals defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2.

Important notes: Gustafsson received the rope from Alex Ovechkin. It was his second time receiving the rope. Before the rope was passed, Laviolette read out a list of accomplishments that Gustafsson achieved that night, including his first goal as a Capital, his first career hat trick, and the 3rd defenseman in Capitals history to score a hat trick. Ovechkin laid on the floor to snap the polaroid of Gustafsson with the rope. His grip score was not announced.

Win 17: Nic Dowd (12/19/22)

The Capitals defeated the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 in overtime.

Important notes: Dowd received the rope from Erik Gustafsson. Dowd scored two goals just 11 seconds apart to tie the game 2-2 in the second period. He also had a secondary assist on Dmitry Orlov’s overtime winning goal. His grip strength test score was not announced.

Win 18: Marcus Johansson (12/22/22)

The Capitals defeated the Ottawa Senators 3-2 in overtime.

Important notes: Johansson received the rope from Nic Dowd. He scored the game winning goal for the Capitals in overtime. He got a 90 on the grip test.

Win 19: Alex Ovechkin (12/23/22)

The Capitals defeated the Winnipeg Jets 4-1.

Important notes: Ovechkin received the rope from Marcus Johansson. This was his 4th time receiving the rope. Ovechkin scored two goals against Winnipeg to tie and pass Gordie Howe for 2nd highest goal scorer of all time. The staff and Ovi’s injured teammates lined up to high-five him when for his locker room entrance that included the iconic song “Gangsta’s Paradise” playing in the background. He gave a speech to his teammates thanking them for their help and support for him reaching the milestone, and ending by saying “I love you guys.” The team joked that his grip strength score was “802” but the actual score was inaudible.

Win 20: Alex Alexeyev (12/27/22)

The Capitals defeated the New York Rangers 4-0.

Important notes: Alexeyev received the rope from Alex Ovechkin. This was his first game back after being placed on injured reserve. He had one shot in game that rang off the crossbar. His grip strength score was not announced.

Win 21: Alex Ovechkin (12/31/22)

The Capitals defeated the Montreal Canadiens 9-2.

Important notes: Ovechkin received the rope from Alex Alexeyev. This was his 5th time receiving the rope. He scored a hat trick in the victory over the Montreal Canadiens. Ovi appeared to score a 90 on the grip strength test.

Win 22: Nicolas Aube-Kubel (1/5/22)

The Capitals defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 6-2.

Important Notes: Aube-Kubel received the rope from Alex Ovechkin. It was his first time receiving the rope. NAK scored his first goal as a Capital in the 2nd period vs. the Blue Jackets. There was no video of his grip strength test.

Win 23: Darcy Kuemper (1/8/22)

The Capitals defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 1-0.

Important notes: Kuemper received the rope from Nicolas Aube-Kubel. It was his third time receiving the rope. Kuemper stopped 38 shots on net from the Blue Jackets for his 29th shutout and his fourth of the season, leading all NHL goalies this year. His grip strength test score was not announced.

Win 24: Dmitry Orlov (1/16/22)

The Capitals defeated the New York Islanders 4-3 in overtime.

Important notes: Orlov received the rope from Darcy Kuemper. Orlov scored the overtime game winning goal for the Capitals. He scored a 79 on the grip strength test.

Win 25: Tom Wilson (1/19/22)

The Capitals defeated the Arizona Coyotes 4-0.

Important notes: Wilson received the rope from Dmitry Orlov. He scored his first goal since returning from a major knee surgery that kept him out the first half of the season. When Wilson went to take the grip strength test, the team joked that he was going to “break it.” His score was unclear.

Win 26: Nick Backstrom (1/26/22)

The Capitals defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 in a shootout.

Important notes: Backstrom received the rope from Tom Wilson. Before handing it off, Wilson noted about the Penguins that there’s “nothing better than beating those guys.” Backstrom scored the game winning goal in the shootout. Nicky joked that he scored “140” on the grip test, but his actual score is unknown.

Win 27: Trevor Van-Reimsdyk (1/31/23)

The Capitals defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3 in overtime.

Important notes: Van Reimsdyk received the rope from Nick Backstrom. He scored two goals against the Jackets, including the overtime game winner. His grip strength score was not announced.

Win 28: Darcy Kuemper (2/11/23)

The Capitals defeated the Boston Bruins 2-1.

Important notes: Kuemper received the rope from Trevor Van Reimsdyk. It was his fourth time receiving the rope. He stopped 27-28 of the Bruin’s shots, including two clutch ones in the last minute of the game when the Bruins were on a power play. Kuemper told the team “If we play like that, we might not win every night, but we’ll give ourselves a chance every night.” He scored an 80 on the grip strength test.

Win 29: TJ Oshie (2/25/23)

The Capitals defeated the New York Rangers 6-3.

Important notes: Oshie received the rope from Darcy Kuemper. Oshie scored his first career Gordie Howe Hat Trick in the game, including an extra goal. His grip strength score was inaudible.

Win 30: Tom Wilson (3/1/23)

The Capitals defeated the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 in overtime.

Important notes: Wilson received the rope from TJ Oshie. Wilson had his first signature “Tom Moment” of the season, including a goal and a fight in regulation, along with the overtime game winning goal. Wilson told the team during his speech that he “loved the group in here.” He scored an 88 on the grip strength test.

Win 31: Vincent Iorio (3/4/23)

The Capitals defeated the San Jose Sharks 8-3.

Important notes: Iorio received the rope from Tom Wilson. Iorio had an assist on an Ovechkin goal in his first NHL game. Tom Wilson told the team that Iorio “might as well get his first speech out of the way” before handing him the rope. His grip strength score was unannounced.

Win 32: TJ Oshie & Sonny Milano (3/11/23)


The Capitals defeated the New York Islanders 5-1.

Important notes: For the first time this season, two players were awarded the yellow rope. This rope ceremony included the player’s fathers, who on the team’s yearly Dad’s trip.
Oshie received the rope from Tom Wilson, who honored both Ovi’s and Oshie’s late fathers in his speech. Oshie, who scored one goal against the Isles, then searched for Sonny Milano’s father, Frank, who announced the team’s starting lineup during the pregame, to hand the rope off to him. Frank Milano had apparently left the locker room early, so Oshie settled on giving the rope to Frank’s son instead. Sonny Milano took the grip strength test for the two and scored an 84.

Win 33: Alex Ovechkin (3/15/23)

The Capitals defeated the Buffalo Sabres 5-4 in the shootout.

Important notes: Ovechkin received the rope from TJ Oshie (who said he was stepping in for Sonny Milano). This was Ovi’s 6th time receiving the rope. Ovechkin had a goal and an assist against the Sabres that night. Ovi said in his mini speech, “A good thing about this team is never stop believing in each other, and you can see the result.” He also instructed the locker room to “keep f**king grinding.” Ovechkin -claims- he scored a 160 on the grip strength test.

Win 34: John Carlson (3/23/23)

The Capitals defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 6-1.

Important notes: Carlson received the rope from Alex Ovechkin. It was his first time receiving the rope. Carlson had a goal and an assist in his first game back with the team after taking a Brendan Dillon slapshot to the head on December 23rd against the Jets. Carlson talked about how it was tough being away from the team while recovering from a fractured skull, and it was nice to be back. He scored a 78 on the grip strength test.

Screenshot: @Capitals/Twitter

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