Dowd On His Role With Capitals: ‘S**t, I’d Love To Be Alex Ovechkin’

Washington Capitals forward Nic Dowd has made a name for himself in D.C. as a role player, one who centers one of the league's best fourth lines, kills penalties and can win key face-offs.. However, that wasn't always the plan for the 33-year-old.

Dowd joined the Grant and Danny Show on 106.7 The Fan on Wednesday to discuss the part he plays with the team and what it's like to be a part of the Capitals' success, and he had some fun with it.

"You’re out there in the backyard playing with your buddies, you want to score goals," he said of his youth, then cracked, "I wasn’t out there 10 years old winning faceoffs.”

Dowd worked his way up the ranks and was a seventh-round pick in 2009. He then went on to play in the NCAA, where he was a Hobey Baker finalist with the St. Cloud State Huskies. He then signed with the Los Angeles Kings and spent some time between the NHL and AHL, and after time in L.A. and Vancouver, he found a home with Washington as a utility player who can play a number of important roles.

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Through 44 games this season, Dowd has 10 goals and nine assists. He is currently working his way back from a lower-body injury he suffered back on Jan. 16.

While he's established new career-highs in goals during his tenure, the main reason that he's earned acclaim with the Capitals is because of his ability in the face-off spot and as a two-way player who can be trusted in the defensive zone.

“That’s why we all play, right? In the end, We’re in the NHL because we can [be] great hockey players, and you gotta figure out a way to stick so everyone has kinda a role.”

Still, he'd love to experience life as a goal scorer and joked about being compared to his captain.

"Shit, I’d love to be Alex Ovechkin and score 50 every year," he noted. "That looks pretty fun."