With the Washington Capitals on to the Eastern Conference Finals, the spotlight shines bright on D.C. sports. It was a good time for Brooks Orpik to be featured in The Players Tribune to explain how they finally vanquished the Penguins.
His answer for that--and many other things--is that the team has Alex Ovechkin. He basically talks about Ovi like he's the Incredible Hulk, an unstoppable force that can tip the scales in any matchup.
But perhaps his best anecdote is about Ovechkin's insatiable appetite for his Italian pregame meal. He's basically a force of nature.
When I got to Washington and saw him on the scale, it said he was 240. I would have been surprised … but by then I had seen Ovi eat.
I think the best word to actually describe Ovi is reckless — on and off the ice...The guy’s diet is borderline inspiring.
We have a chef here who prepares our pregame meals. Ovi always orders the same thing — Mama Luccia, which is this pasta dish that’s like chicken parm with noodles, bread, cheese, the kind of thing you want to take a five-hour nap after eating. He makes a big display of it too. There’s no shame. It’ll be eleven in the morning, way before anyone is really thinking about eating lunch, and Ovi will walk into the dining area yelling, “Mama Luccia! Mama Luccia!” I don’t know. It’s weird, but it seems normal now.
Then, a few hours later, he’s outskating everyone on the ice, knocking guys on their asses and sniping pucks wherever he wants.
Legend.
Most athletes who become legends end up making their bodies an obsession. Look no further than Tom Brady, who launched a whole side business around his controversial diet and exercise regimens.
On the other end of the spectrum is Ovi and athletes like Michael Phelps, who eat notoriously heavy meals and work hard enough to offset any negative effects. That can create extra stress on internal organs, but who can disagree with the results that these athletes achieve?
Orpik's whole piece is interesting, especially as he repeatedly notes that as long as Ovi is being Ovi, this team has a chance to win. He also gives due credit to goalie Braden Holtby and coach Barry Trotz, but the straw that stirs the drink is the Great Eight.
He also says that the team takes nothing for credit and is ready to go out and win it all.
You can't read that often enough.
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