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Conditioning, Dr. Pepper And A Love For Subs: Ovechkin Talks Diet, Staying In Shape

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Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin

ARLINGTON, V.A. — Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin is in high spirits after a productive skate at MedStar Capitals Iceplex on Tuesday, sporting a smile as he shares what makes a perfect sub.

“Double cheese, extra mayo!” he declares before heading to the locker room.

The Great 8 has stuck to a routine diet, and it’s not exactly one that’s seen league-wide. Before games, he’ll have Mamma Lucia’s, and during games, ESPN revealed that he has a Gatorade bottle filled with Pepsi. And between periods, he rehydrates with Dr. Pepper.

Beyond that, Ovechkin is keeping the rest of his “special diet” to himself.

“I’m not gonna tell you what it is,” he grinned.

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However, he did admit that one of his go-tos is an Italian sub from Subway. It’s something he’s often seen carrying before getting on flights for road trips.

“It’s one of the secrets,” he shrugged.

In all seriousness, though, the 36-year-old has kept in outstanding shape. A strong offseason, as well as prime conditioning, have benefitted the Great 8 in one of his best seasons yet. Through 46 games, Ovechkin has dished 29 goals and 30 assists and ranks among the league leaders in scoring. He is also just eight goals shy of passing Jaromir Jagr for third on the NHL’s all-time goals list after starting the season at sixth.

“He came into camp in really good shape,” head coach Peter Laviolette said. “Last year was a different year, was just kind of off, funky, not knowing when the season was gonna start… he came in in great shape. He got going right off the bat.”

“It’s just a situation [where it] was a good offseason for me… we work hard,” Ovechkin said, adding, “When you prepare what training have to be, [you can] prepare yourself for a long year. Also when you feel good, you just want to play more and more.”