For Lindgren Brothers, Capitals-Rangers Made For Interesting Christmas Vacation

ARLINGTON, V.A. — After spending Christmas together in Minnesota, brothers Charlie and Ryan Lindgren saw each other again after the break as both made their way to New York as Charlie's Washington Capitals faced Ryan's New York Rangers on Tuesday.

And of course, as the family rang in the holidays, the game came up in discussion and made for a rather fun family affair.

"We just had some fun with it," Charlie laughed. "I was just like, 'you better not say a word.'"

As Charlie backed up following a hot stretch, he watched Darcy Kuemper and his Capitals shut out his little brother and the Rangers in a dominant 4-0 win. Charlie also saw teammate Garnet Hathaway get into a scrum with Ryan and got a wink from him (though Hathaway insists that "Chuck's crazy" and wouldn't confirm this) when he came back to the bench.

"It's just hilarious because he's just trying to get under my brother's skin, and it just made me laugh," Charlie said.

"It's always really cool to watch him play no matter what," Charlie said. "He was a little unhappy after the game. He was upset with the game. It was good to see him, and we'll see him again."

"It's so cool to look across the bench and see him there," Ryan noted of facing his big brother.

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Tuesday wasn't the first time they'd seen each other at the NHL level. Charlie backed up in a game for the Montreal Canadiens when Ryan and the Rangers came to visit back in 2020. They've also played against each other at the AHL level. Their younger brother, Andrew, is also a goaltender and laced 'em up for Saint John's University in the NCAA Division III, and on his mask, he had both the brothers' NHL logos on the backplate. The Lindgrens' father also plays goal.

"Whenever I'm playing against him, the stakes are most definitely raised because we're both incredibly competitive," Charlie said. "You don't want to be the loser in that one. I've been on the losing side and he's been on the losing side."

For Charlie and Ryan, though, sharing Tuesday at Madison Square Garden was a notable family affair, and one that put a spotlight on the long roads they've taken to the NHL.

"It's awesome because we both have worked really hard to get to where we're at," Charlie explained. "For us to be playing in the best league in the world at arguably the greatest arena on the planet, it was just a pretty cool experience."