Alex Ovechkin shocks as he exposes the role alcohol plays in NHL dressing rooms

As soon as you see Alex Ovechkin and the word alcohol in the same sentence, you’re immediately brought back to the offseason of 2018, also dubbed as the Summer of Ovi, when the Washington Capitals’ captain spent most of the time drunk, celebrating his team’s championship. While the Stanley Cup hasn’t been back in Washington since, Ovechkin recently revealed that has not stopped him, or any of his teammates, to have a drink, including in the Capitals’ dressing room.

In a recent interview with friend and blogger Amiran Sardarov, Ovechkin opened up on how prevalent drinking is among hockey players after games. He felt no guilt in exposing the role of alcohol in the NHL.

“I don’t hide it,” Ovechkin said per a sports.ru transcription, translated by RMNB. “I like the taste of beer. I like light beer, sometimes I can drink Guinness.”

He added: “I can’t imagine a [player] who says he doesn’t drink, ‘he quit.’ You can take a break for a certain time, but after the game, 2 to 3 cans of beer – with pleasure. It’s useful. In Washington, we have a refrigerator with beer in the coaching room. It’s normal.”

Ovechkin explained how he strongly believes a drink amongst teammates after a game brings benefits to the dressing room and staff.

“We just like to relax. After hockey, you are tired, a couple of glasses of wine or beer is normal… It relieves tension.”

While Ovechkin enjoys a beer or two a day during the offseason, he quickly revealed how the drinking stops once he starts training for action in September.

“When training starts, you have to give it up,” Ovechkin said. “During the preseason, when you are training, getting into shape, trying to lose extra pounds, you try to limit yourself in food and drink.”

Not sure all players across the NHL would agree with Ovechkin’s assessment. Some actually needed help for alcohol abuse. Just this past season, Colorado Avalanche’s Samuel Girard got help from the NHL / NHLPA Assistance program and admitted that drinking was a problem in his life.

“I have made a proactive decision to take care of my mental health, and will be entering treatment for severe anxiety and depression that has gone untreated for too long and led to alcohol abuse,” Girard shared back in November.

Let’s not forget how alcohol was at the center of the saga involving Corey Perry with the Chicago Blackhawks last season as well. Perry’s contract was terminated after he was involved in an “alcohol fuelled” incident in Columbus following a game against the Blue Jackets. He later went on to sign a deal with the Edmonton Oilers after revealing he had gotten help for his alcohol consumption.

I wonder if now other NHL players will open up about the role of alcohol in their respective dressing room across the league.