So the Washington Capitals allow 10 goals in two games so far this week and Dale Hunter reacts.  That led to reactions by Tomas Vokoun and his agent Allan Walsh.  Then there is the Roman Hamrlik drama and Alex Ovechkin’s lower body.  Oh and did you hear merrick vs wyshynski Thursday?

Had enough for a while?  Gather ye all.  I offer a respite from hell week.  Join me as I take a break.  Pour yourself a drink while I reveal the mystery that has eluded us all.   Have you ever wondered why Brooks Laich always clears the pucks out of the net during Washington Capitals pregame warm ups?

It’s bugged me for years.  Recently I had to chance to ask 21 about it.  Did he lose a bet?  Is it some sort of superstition?  The answer is much simpler.

He laughed and said, “Nope, it’s because I run warm ups.”  He has run warms for the “past 5 years.”  It’s up to him prepare for the next item on the pregame agenda and part of that is gathering the pucks out of the net and moving them to where they are needed.

From there he continued to chat about the team’s pregame routine and talked about how he had to deal with some of the superstitions of other players.  For example when the team forms an arc around the net and takes shots there is a specific order to the shooters.  When a player out of the lineup he arranges other players to take their place so as not to disrupt the order.

He gave a couple of examples.  Backstrom shoots second so he needs to slot a shooter there.  When Knuble, who shoots fifth, was scratched he had to draft someone for his place.  As he said, “Chimmer has to be sixth and most of the other guys have a certain spot in the order.”

I hope you enjoyed the break. Back to hell week.