Do we have a little walk-up music controversy brewing? We ask because Nic Dowd of the Caps uses “Sweet Home Alabama” as his intro when he joins the Junkies every Thursday, being from ‘Bama originally and all, but Commanders RB Brian Robinson, who was born, raised, and went to college in Tuscaloosa, was considering that as well, but didn’t want to step on Dowd’s toes.
“I would be honored to share with him,” Dowd said when they told him about the move. “Of course I’m a Commanders fan, they’re killing it this year…but both of my brothers went to Auburn, so we’re a War Eagle family!”
We’ll see if that changes B-Rob’s mind and the Crimson Tide rises in his brain, but here’s some team camaraderie: Alex Ovechkin is already out skating barely two weeks after fracturing his leg, and Dowder and the Caps are charged up by it.
“It’s great. It’s obviously really encouraging to see any guy come back from injury a little bit earlier than what you might anticipate, and Ovi’s an animal do it doesn't surprise me one bit that he's already back trending in that direction and he's already touching the ice,” Dowd said. “It’s big for our team, he’s our captain and was on a bit of a tear before he got injured, so to have him back is a big emotional boost for the team, and it’s great for our lineup and scoring. And, you gotta have your captain back in the lineup, right? That's always a huge help.”
Here’s the thing about Ovi: some of the Junks have seen him try other sports and he’s not that great at golf or a few others, and he’s not much of a video gamer, although Dowd did say ‘he’s good at soccer, but maybe bends the rules a little bit - but he’s earned that right after being in the NHL for 20 years.’
So he lives and breathes puck, as does Dowder, who scored the only goal for the Caps in their loss to San Jose this week that snapped a four-game win streak – but hey, setbacks are temporary, right?
“As a team overall we’re playing really well, but last game was not our best; I think we left a lot to be desired, but even not playing well early, that game was still very much in reach for us to win,” Dowd said. “The good thing is we now know why we lost that game; San Jose played well enough to win that game, no question, but we got away from our identity that we’ve created, and generally when that happens, you’re not going to like the outcome.”
San Jose is one of the bottom teams in the West, but Any Given Sunday and all, and sometimes, maybe the juice just isn’t there.
“I’m not going to sit here and say San Jose is a bad team; they are rebuilding, but there’s more parity in hockey than any other sport, and I think that any team on any given night could beat anybody,” Dowd said. “Is it different playing the Pittsburgh Penguins on a Friday night as opposed the Sharks or the Kings or other teams that are out west that you don't see all the time? Yeah, I definitely think so, but that's why we are professional athletes, the best of our trade, and we have a mature veteran group that understands that those games are even more so when you got to buckle down, play well, and win that hockey game.”
Take a listen to Dowd’s entire visit, as he discusses the Canadian back-to-back this weekend, his recent charity event with Charlie Lindgren, and more!