You’ll hear their laughter bouncing off the concrete walls in the tunnels under NHL rinks, a couple of hours before every Capitals game: Evgeny Kuznetsov and a group of teammates kicking around a soccer ball.
They’re professional athletes, but those moments between arrival to the arena and game time can sound reminiscent of a playground game.
It’s a tradition many teams rely on, in some form, to stay physically and mentally loose before games. Kuznetsov summed it up in his own way.
“We’re just trying to (expletive) around a little bit, you know?” Kuznetsov smiled. “That’s probably the best answer.”
Not everyone on the team is involved in the soccer circle. Each player prepares in his own way. Routines don’t change in the playoffs, but the pressure does. As the Capitals travel to Pittsburgh with their Stanley Cup Playoff second-round series with the Penguins tied 1-1, staying loose is more vital than ever.
“You have to be mentally ready but if you’re thinking too much about the game, it’s not very nice,” Kuznetsov said. “Everyone’s different, right? I like to be loose a little bit, couple days before the game. On game day, of course, you kind of gain focus, but at the same time, I don’t like to be over-focused.”
Most NHL rosters have some players who get their blood flowing before games in this fashion, and it’s hardly a new trend — Olie Kolzig and Chris Clark took part back in their day. Alex Ovechkin is a soccer fan and has been known to join a circle before.
Eight to 10 participants make for a solid group to play with:
Getting warm. ⚽️ #CapsDucks #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/yJ25UFVDHX
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) March 7, 2018
Jay Beagle said roughly half of the team participates in the soccer group, but Beagle himself falls squarely in the half that doesn’t play. When it comes to soccer, he swears he has “two left feet.”
“If you’re good at soccer, I think you play it before the game to warm up. I’m just not good at soccer so I’d embarrass myself,” Beagle said.
Instead, Beagle does his own short workout to stretch and get a sweat going. Brooks Orpik also prefers to skip soccer. For a half hour, he uses recovery boots — dynamic compression equipment for the legs and feet — and then gets ready in the weight room.
Orpik, an alternate captain, said the variety of individual approaches to preparation extends to off-days between practices and games. Some players feel they need to get a workout in when the team has off, while others want to spend the day with family.
After the Capitals lost Game 1 to the Penguins last Thursday, the team had Friday off. Some took it to decompress; others were itching for another game right away.
“What works for me doesn’t necessarily work for the next guy,” Orpik said. “Everybody has their own routine.”
Beagle, another veteran, has not felt the need to step in for any young Capitals players to suggest they change their pregame routine.
“It’s pretty cool to see that transition because everyone takes it very serious now,” Beagle said. “Even the young guys coming in, they come in very prepared and very aware of their body compared to I’d say 10 to seven years ago. It was a lot different.”
Capitals coach Barry Trotz might not have done something similar in his playing days.
“I’d probably have a coffee (before a game) back then,” Trotz said. “There wasn’t a lot of sports science way back then.”
But as a longtime head coach in the NHL, Trotz knows when players are in the sweet spot of preparedness.
“Every player will tell you, ’I’m in the zone.’ You say, ’What’s the zone?’ ’I’m focused but I feel relaxed,’” Trotz said. “They all know how to play the game, play it hard, play it the right way and if you have trust in each other and play for each other, you have the chance to get good results for each other.”
For the Capitals, that trust often begins with a friendly, subterranean soccer game.
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
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