André Burakovsky Archives - Russian Machine Never BreaksRussian Machine Never Breaks

Andre Burakovsky’s hockey superstition is Alex Ovechkin ‘biting me before every game’

Capitals forwards Andre Burakovsky and Alex Ovechkin have a touchy feely relationship, including a warmup tradition that features aggressive collar-grabbing and yelling.

Wednesday, we learned that the two players’ pregame routine gets even more bizarre than this. In an interview with the NHLPA, Burakovsky said that his strangest gameday superstition
is Alex Ovechkin “biting me before every game.”

And if you don’t believe me, Andre wrote it out in his own handwriting.

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Capitals players were asked to draw the Weagle logo. Their drawings went horribly wrong.

Before the season began, the Capitals were challenged to draw the Weagle logo during Media Day.

While in their full gear, players such as Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and Andre Burakovsky, were given a marker and tried to recreate the team’s shoulder patch from memory on a whiteboard.

Despite the fact that the players are exposed to the logo multiple times a day and it was literally on the gear they were wearing, the results were terrible. Maybe even concerning.

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By Alex Hayes On November 4, 2018 0 Comment

The Washington Capitals are hosting their Halloween Party tonight. These are their costumes.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to one of the greatest nights of the season. The Washington Capitals are holding their annual Halloween Party at the Russian restaurant Mari Vanna.

Technically, Halloween is this Wednesday, but since the Capitals will conclude their four-game road trip in Montreal Thursday night, they decided to hold the jamboree this evening. The team, perhaps strategically, also made Monday an off day.

This year’s costumes are awesome once again. Let’s review!

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By Ian Oland On October 28, 2018 3 Comments

Capitals promote Jakub Vrana to first line, Andre Burakovsky to second ahead of Saturday’s game in Calgary

On Friday the Capitals shook up their lines following Thursday’s 4-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers. Most notably, Jakub Vrana earned a promotion to the first line alongside Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov.

Andre Burakovsky replaces Vrana on the second line after a strong couple games on the fourth line. Burakovsky scored his first goal of the season Thursday night in Edmonton.

On the blue line, Madison Bowey works his way into the line up, as Christian Djoos misses out with his first healthy scratch of the season.

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By Alex Hayes On October 26, 2018 1 Comment

Andre Burakovsky ends eight-game pointless streak with first goal of the season

Andre Burakovsky will be a restricted free agent heading into the summer and a lot of money is riding on his production this season — which may be why the Swedish forward is struggling mightily.

Burakovsky started the season on an eight-game pointless-streak, but, you guys, it’s finally over. Burra’s back to burying pucks.

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By Ian Oland On October 25, 2018 2 Comments

Andre Burakovsky lands biggest hit of his life on Troy Stecher

Remember when we wrote about Andre Burakovsky turning into Andre Swoleakovsky during the offseason?

Well, Young Dre and his beefy muscles don’t have a single point yet this season, but they did just combine to level Canucks defenseman Troy Stecher with a humangous big hit.

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By Ian Oland On October 22, 2018 1 Comment

Andre Burakovsky reads US Weekly on the plane while Nicklas Backstrom bops along to Willie Nelson

The Capitals captain (a man who likes to give us nice things like Stanley Cups) has given us another nice thing: an Instagram story from inside the Capitals’ plane.

The team is on their way to Vancouver after a shootout loss Friday night against the Florida Panthers. But (at least from where Alex Ovechkin is sitting,) the team’s spirits are high.

The video isn’t long, but there was a lot to unpack, and we are happy to provide an exhaustive analysis.

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By Brennin Weiswerda On October 20, 2018 0 Comment

77 photos from the Caps Dog Calendar shoot featuring puppies, the Stanley Cup, and puppies IN the Stanley Cup

The happiest day of the Capitals regular season happened on Saturday when they participated in the annual canine calendar photoshoot. Partnering with Homeward Trails Animal Rescue, the guys posed with dogs up for adoption, as well as their own family-owned pups.

This year’s shoot was more relaxed, with each Caps player sporting their own style with a special guest: the STANLEY CUP! And what’s better than tiny puppies in the Cup? Not much.

Capitals players John Carlson, Brett Connolly, Nic Dowd, Lars Eller, TJ Oshie, Alex Ovechkin, Matt Niskanen, and Chandler Stephenson all posed with their own dogs. Nicklas Backstrom, Madison Bowey, Travis Boyd, Andre Burakovsky, Pheonix Copley, Christian Djoos, Braden Holtby, Dmitrij Jaskin, Michal Kempny, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Dmitry Orlov, Devante Smith-Pelly, Jakub Vrana, Nathan Walker, and Tom Wilson took their photos with dogs available for adoption through Homeward Trails.

Since the calendar began in 2014, the Caps have raised almost $250,000 for Homeward Trails. A limited number of calendars will be available for $20 at the November 21 game against the Chicago Blackhawks. The calendar will be sold online and details will be announced at a later date.

While the official photos won’t be seen until the release, we hope these adorable photos will hold you over until then.

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By Cara Bahniuk On October 7, 2018 2 Comments

Highly-fashionable Capitals players rocked the red carpet ahead of banner-raising night (Photos)

After the shortest offseason in franchise history, the Capitals got back to business on Wednesday.

Before their banner raising and 7-0 beatdown on the Boston Bruins, Capitals players walked a red carpet outside Capital One Arena. There was a remarkable turnout from fans who crowded F street in anticipation.

As Lexuses dropped the guys off at the corner of 6th and F, they were escorted down the rug with fans chosen by the team. The Caps spent time signing autographs and taking quick selfies with the fans. Some of them, including Craig Laughlin, Alex Ovechkin, and TJ Oshie, were even wearing their Stanley Cup championship ring.

Last season, TJ Oshie brought in the most cheers as his arrival was announced. He brought on the same excitement this season but Lars Eller also received a massive reception from the crowd. The scorer of the game-winning Stanley Cup Final may be one of the most popular players on the team, for good reason of course.

Nothing has changed with this well-dressed group of weirdos — some players wore custom suits (we’ll have more on John Carlson’s ditty later). Ovechkin also wore another classic blue suit. Never change, Ovi.

Check out all the photos from the event below.

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By Cara Bahniuk On October 5, 2018 1 Comment