Kuemper & Lindgren Have Become ‘Good Buddies’ — And So Have Their Dogs

ARLINGTON, V.A. — Goalies stick together. That's been the case for Washington Capitals netminders Darcy Kuemper and Charlie Lindgren, who have formed a tight bond both on and off the ice since signing this offseason. However, there's another factor beyond their roles that have solidified their friendships: their dogs.

Both Kuemper and Lindgren describe themselves the same way: easy-going, dog-loving guys. And when they started texting back and forth after signing in D.C., they clicked right away, and that was also the case for their dogs, Rogue and Riley, who met back at the Caps Canine Calendar shoot back in October.

Since then, the two pups have been inseparable. Kuemper's dog, Rogue, is a four-and-a-half-year-old German Shepherd from Saskatchewan. Lindgren's dog, Riley, 2, is an Austrian Shepherd lab mix that was rescue from Oklahoma during the pandemic.

"Riley and Rogue are best buddies," Lindgren said. "They just love being together… they get along really well."

'"Our dogs really like each other, the dogs love chasing each other around," Kuemper noted.

When Kuemper and Lindgren are at the rink, their wives, Sydney and Mikkayla, take the dogs to go on hikes and other adventures or arrange playdates at home. Their go-to spot is an off-leash trail where the two of them can run around together.

The dogs, as well as the fellow netminders, have taken such a liking to each other that while Lindgren and his wife, Mikayla, go back to Minneapolis to visit home over the holiday break, Riley will be ringing in Christmas with the Kuempers. The 2022 Stanley Cup Champion was more than happy to dogsit for his teammate.

"They like to go on hikes, or we just let them run around the backyard," Kuemper laughed.

"Riley's probably pretty sad he's not spending Christmas with us, but spending it with Rogue and the Kuempers is probably a close second," Lindgren added.

And, like Rogue and Riley, Kuemper and Lindgren have formed something of a brotherhood as well.

"Riley and Rogue, me and Darcy: I think it's a couple of friendships that have really blossomed throughout the year," Lindgren smiled. "Darcy and I, we've become really good buddies, and our pups have too. That's been pretty awesome."

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Kuemper and Lindgren are in constant communication, as both bounce off each other and spend a lot of time together stretching, working out and obviously, manning the crease at practice. While that's going on, the dogs are usually playing. Off the ice, Kuemper and Lindgren's laid-back personalities match each other, and the two tend to hang out, get dinner together or play with the dogs together.

"We just like to hang out and spend time together and talk. I can call him a really good buddy," Lindgren said. "He's someone that I can talk to a lot. We obviously see each other at the rink, spend a lot of time together as goalie partners. It's been fun to watch him as a goalie and learn from him because I think he's awesome at what he does. He's a really good goaltender. And then off the ice too, he's been in the league now for quite some time. He's been awesome to me, I can't say enough really good things about him."

"It's been great," Kuemper said of his connection with Lindgren. "I think being able to have [support] is really important. I think we've done a good job of supporting each other, having each other's ear whenever we need to talk about something and just cheering each other on. So I think that's been awesome."