Alexander Ovechkin has spent two decades keeping a water bottle full of Coca-Cola on the Washington Capitals bench, a habit that has baffled teammates, nutritionists and anyone who has ever tried to drink a soda mid-workout.
Paul Bissonnette finally asked him about it on TNT before Wednesday’s home opener.
“It’s a long story, but one of my trainers who I work with back in Russia, he was a marathon runner, and he said, ‘When you’re tired, you’re exhausted, you need some sugar in your body,'” Ovechkin said. “We always drink Coca Cola, and I’m pretty sure it’s working.”
Why does Ovechkin drink Coke during games?
The marathon runner detail is the part that makes sense of it. Flat cola is a long-established staple among endurance athletes, particularly European ones, for exactly the reason Ovechkin’s trainer gave him: it’s one of the fastest ways to get glucose into the bloodstream when you’re running on empty.
His teammates have learned about the habit the hard way. Former Capitals defenseman Matt Niskanen once came off a long shift, grabbed the nearest bottle and got a mouthful of Coke, having picked up Ovechkin’s by mistake. Dylan Strome has told the same kind of story on Spittin’ Chiclets.
READ MORE: Alexander Ovechkin got an introduction he won’t forget
The devotion extends well past the bench. Ovechkin has been a Coca-Cola endorser since before the Sochi Olympics, has worn Coke-branded clothing, keeps vending machines in his house, and was once photographed in the dressing room watching the game on television with a can in hand after taking a hit from Nazem Kadri. He has also been reported to drink three of them before puck drop.
Whether anyone should copy him is a separate matter. Ovechkin announced on Monday that this will be his final NHL season, and he goes into it with 929 goals in 1,575 games, the most anyone has ever scored.
Read more:
