Ovechkin impressed everyone with his strength and received a rope from firefighters. The team of the Russian star has new winning traditions

Daria Tuboltseva Why the best Washington player is handed a pigtail rope and forced to demonstrate strength. What was in the locker room remains in the locker room – not everything is like that for a long time. Teams on both sides of the ocean often show what happens in the “hockey house” for the players. Firstly, according to the rules of the NHL and the KHL, after the matches, journalists are allowed into the locker rooms to communicate with hockey players (usually for 10-15 minutes). Secondly, clubs like to shoot videos from winning dressing rooms. And in these videos you can see a lot of interesting things. For example, what does the coach say after the victory or who is recognized as the best player of the match. The best player, as a rule, is awarded some kind of rolling item. In the first season of Peter Laviolet in Washington, the best player received a karate bandanna, in the second – a Viking set (axe and shield), a reference to the Vikings series of the same name. This year the prize is even more unusual – a huge yellow braided rope. Also, the best player must perform a test of strength – you need to squeeze a hand dynamometer. After the victory over Vancouver (6:4), Erik Gustafsson (the best player of the last match) handed over the rope and dynamometer Alexander Ovechkin, who scored 4 (2+2) points in the match. The yellow rope was given as a gift to Peter Laviolet Arlington Fire & EMS, which is located a few blocks from the Washington practice rink. The idea of ​​handing the rope in the locker room came up with the coaches (collective mind). The firefighters said that the rope is very important to them. With the help of her, people are pulled out of burning buildings or thrown from burning buildings with her. Firefighters save lives with this rope. This rope is a symbol of how important your hands are and that they must not be lowered, said Laviolet. twitter.com/CapitalsInterestingly, the Capitals’ motto this season is: “I won’t let go” (I won’t let go). There is a double meaning here, both about the rope, and also “I won’t let you go” (I won’t leave you, pull you out, help me, I care, etc.). The team has T-shirts with this inscription. The rope and slogan idea can be related to the well-known hockey saying: “Everybody pulls on the same rope”. Literally in Russian, this can be translated as “Everyone pulls for one rope.” But the saying closest in meaning is “All in the same boat.” The best player is always determined by the player who was recognized as the best in the previous match. The injured Niklas Backstrom and Tom Wilson chose the first best – they settled on the Swedish defender Gustafsson, who scored 2 (0+2) points in the first three matches. After handing the rope and showing off his power, Backstrom, who happened to have a Polaroid camera with him, captured Eric on camera. This also became part of the ceremony after the victory, the team plans to make a collage of photos at the end of the season. twitter.com/Capitals An interesting story came out with the dynamometer. Assistant strength coach Zach Leddon survived 77 pounds (34.9 kg). Gustafsson stopped at 70 pounds. Ovechkin outclassed everyone and survived 80 pounds (36.2 kg). The applause and cheers in the dressing room were loud. Such things are invented to defuse the situation. After a hard game, it never hurts to laugh and fool around, especially if a victory has been won. Yes, and fans will be completely delighted with such videos. There are other motives – the unification of the team. “It’s about making sure we support each other and pull the rope in the same direction. There is a long season ahead. Right now nobody believes in us in the media. We need to focus on ourselves and our locker room in order to get better,” concluded Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov. Subscribe to the telegram channel of Daria Tuboltseva