The Capitals netminder has established a bit of a strict regimen for himself since first signing here three years ago..
ARLINGTON, V.A. — Washington Capitals netminder Charlie Lindgren asserts that the following is true: goalies are just a different breed.
It holds true for the 30-year-old, who is in his third year in D.C. and has since developed an extensive game day routine that he follows to the letter.
"Every goalie's different. I think I'm someone that I've been playing the game a long time, I've done things throughout my career that maybe I don't do anymore and now there's some things that I add in that, you know, I wouldn't have done 10 years ago," Lindgren told The Hockey News.
Lindgren's game day regimen includes drinking an excessive amount of fluids and water. His teammates will question why his locker stall is literally filled with over a dozen bottles of BioSteel, but none of them go unopened; he'll drink all of it.
His daily intake consists of about 16 to 17 bottles of BioSteel on each game day. He'll have three bottles at each intermission, along with three salts. Lindgren also eats one Barebells candy bar per intermission to get protein in his body.
For the Lakeville, Minnesota native, it's not just about hydration, but about what works for him.
"After playing so many games, it's like, 'Okay, this makes me feel good and this is what I want to do.’”
Then, there's his ritual between whistles. He'll shake off his glove hand and grab his bottle off the back of the net before squirting water directly into his eyes. He'll then pinch his fingers to his eyes and reset before returning to play.
For Lindgren, it started with last season's opener, and he hasn't looked back.
"First game of the year, we're playing Pittsburgh at home in the home opener, and I'm going to be quite honest, I didn't get a lot of sleep the night before," Lindgren admitted. "So the water in my eyes, it just felt like it gave me a little bit of energy and just kind of woke me up a little bit... I didn't feel tired, but I feel like it just almost kind of resets me and kind of gets me to refocus."
Lindgren's also admittedly a bit superstitious, and when he has to use the bathroom, he will only go in the far left urinal, a ritual that's dates back to last year's impressive run that helped D.C. return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
"That's a weird one for you," Lindgren laughed. "I think that more so just started last year. Just got into a rhythm (with the Capitals), and I go far left every time."
For Lindgren, though, the routines and rituals — as outlandish as some may be — are just part of being a goaltender.
"It's such a routine-based sport, I feel like, and specifically for the goalie position, we essentially try to control what we can control, and I definitely got some weird routines, so to speak," Lindgren shrugged.