For Washington

A few weeks ago, right in the middle of a game, I kind of caught myself staring up into the crowd. I’ve been around a while now so I’m usually pretty focused, pretty locked in. I can feel the crowd more than I can see it, if that makes sense. But I don’t know what it was, I was just looking through the glass…. And man, I swear, all I saw was the number 8. Everywhere. Just Ovi jersey after Ovi jersey. They were 10 rows deep. And every time he touched the puck, there was this hum of excitement. Like you could feel everybody stand up, 18,000 all holding their breath. I’ve played with some great players, but these last few weeks — being able to watch him chase Gretzky’s record, and to play a part in it, it’s just been incredible. I don’t know how else to put it.

I’m so thankful to be here in Washington, to be a part of the Capitals family. And I just wanted to talk to you all. Because, if I can be honest, there were times where I thought I might never get to this point — where I might never be on a team like this, in a city like this. I don’t take any of this for granted.

Because for me, rock bottom wasn’t that long ago.

It was October 2017, and I was in a steakhouse in Phoenix with my mom and dad.

Two years before that, in 2015, the Coyotes drafted me third overall. I knew the expectation was that they were getting a franchise centerman. I only played seven games in the ’16-17 season before going back to junior. So I had big hopes for ’17-18.  My parents came down to watch the start of the season. Our first game was on the road, our second back home. We lost in Anaheim and then again to Vegas in Phoenix. My parents and I went out for dinner after the loss. I was a bit down on myself and my dad had seen my older brother, Ryan, go through something similar back when he was a rookie. 

We were all chatting, just waiting for our food to come out, and my phone lit up. It was John Chayka, our GM at the time. I showed my dad the phone and we both kind of looked at each other like, Alright, we know what’s coming.

John told me that it wasn’t the end of the road for me, but they were sending me down to the AHL in Tuscon to work on my game. In that moment it was hard to see the bigger picture. I knew that I was three years into my career, and there were guys drafted around me like Connor, who had won an Art Ross. Or Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner who were off to great starts to their careers. And I wasn’t there yet. It was impossible not to hear all that noise. I listened to people call me a bust. And, yeah, it impacted me. 

Looking back, though, what saved me was the support group I had around me. That night in Phoenix, my parents lifted me up and told me I’d make it back stronger. I leaned on Ryan, too. He went early in the 2011 draft and it took him a little time to find his footing in the league. He’s been on a few teams now but he’s really had an amazing career and one that, as a kid, you dream of, right? You just want to play hockey for as long as you can, no matter what. And he’s done that and I’m really proud of him.

When I’d talk to him, he’d remind me that you have to play for your team, of course, but you’re also playing for 31 other teams, too. I know fans might not want to hear that, or might not understand. But not every situation is right for every player. And guys bounce around and find success in different ways. He told me to just put the right effort in every night and somebody is going to notice. 

And that’s what happened.

Just less than a year after that night in the steakhouse, I was traded to Chicago. And it’s still amazing to me how a change of scenery like that can just change everything. I went from feeling like I couldn’t get out of first gear to playing 18 or 19 minutes a night with Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. Opportunity is a crazy thing. And all those feelings of being a bust, or being sent down, or the weight of going No. 3 … they just went away. I was just me again. I was the kid on the outdoor rink in Mississauga having fun. Being in a locker room with those guys, with Seabrook and Keith, Crawford and Kunitz  — it was just eye opening. They prepared differently, they practiced differently, they played differently. Everything was sharp. Everything was with purpose. That’s contagious.

I feel like I’ve always been a player who sees the ice well, who can lift the guys beside him. And when you’ve got future Hall of Famers all around you, the game comes a bit easier. That’s how I got my confidence back. I’ll always be thankful to Chicago for the chance to be a Blackhawk.

I kind of learned from Ryan, though, that careers aren’t usually straightforward. So in the summer of 2022 when the Hawks didn’t qualify me, and I was headed for free agency, I was surprised, for sure. But I was ready. I knew who I was as a player, as a person. I wanted to go somewhere I could show that, and to a city that loved the game like I did. The first day of free agency was tense. My agent and I were waiting for some dominoes to fall. There were a few centers like Ryan and Nazem Kadri who teams were looking at. They had a bit more experience than me, so quite a few clubs were thinking about them. 

I needed a break from all of it on the second day so I went to play golf, and I was on the first fairway when my agent called.

“Washington’s offering one year.”

“One year….”

“Why don’t you call your family and see what they think?”

So I’m riding in the cart, calling my parents. My dad answered.

“So Washington called and .....”

“That seems like a good fit for you. Great team. Great city. No brainer.”

I make a few more quick calls. My brother is a few groups ahead of me on the course. I call him.

“Washington. Man, I love that for you. You gotta do it.”

I called my agent back.

“Let’s go to Washington.”

I finished the front nine, signed the deal. Finished the back nine. And I was a Capital.

It just felt good to me. My dad was right, it’s a great city, a great organization with some incredible players. And I just wanted to be a part of something special. To play in the big games in front of a packed building. I knew that was possible in Washington.

Almost right away I knew I made the right decision.

That summer, before the preseason started, I was at the rink getting some work in with the guys. It was great meeting everyone and the staff were amazing to me. But I remember everyone kind of saying under their breath, like, I think he’s coming in today. He might be here today. He should be here soon.

I was just like, Who?

And then Ovi busts in. Huge smile on his face. Looking like the happiest guy on the planet. He walked around the gym and just gave everybody the biggest hug. And, I don’t know man, he’s just bigger than life. He sets the tone. He’s Ovi. 

Surreal gets used too much. But that’s the word. I remember being a kid and just being amazed by him. The smoke visor. The yellow wax laces. The jersey flying in the wind. The goal on his back. Kissing the fingers and pointing to the sky. I remember when he scored his 50th of the season in March 2009. My neighbor was actually at that game down in Tampa and she came back a few days later and ran over to our house to tell us about it. She put a stick down on the ground and did his “Stick on Fire” celly. She’s bouncing around, heating her hands on the stick.  We were all cracking up. 

He was just that guy, right? Bigger than the game, in a way.

I think that’s been clear these last few weeks. The closer he got to Gretzky’s record, there was just this energy in the building. I remember the Friday night against the Hawks at home, when he was three from breaking it — the building was just buzzing. People were chanting, Ovi-Ovi-Ovi, before he even got on the ice. He ended up tying the record that night and you just knew it was going to happen on Long Island.

It’s funny, my dad called me, because he had tickets to our next home game against the Canes after the trip to New York. And he was like “I’d love to get down to Washington on Thursday, but I don’t think the record is going to make it that long.”

I just said, “I don’t think so either, Dad.”

Our team, you know, I’d be lying if I said we weren’t trying all season to help him break the record. It’s been a big thing for us. We wanted him to get there so bad. Because he’s our guy, right. Even through his injury, for him to come back and just find a way to be the best player on the ice so many nights, it’s incredible. I swear, man, sometimes with Ovi it’s like, he’s more excited for you to score than when he does it himself. He’s just got this generosity to him. And we all wanted to pay it back.

That’s why we all reacted the way we did. It was just one of those moments that history will remember forever. And to be on the ice, to see it all happen — it’s awesome. And the way the crowd in New York reacted, that’s what I mean when I say he’s bigger than the game. How often are you in a road building and it feels like everyone is rooting for you? 

That’s number 8. 

He’s one of one. Simple as that. 

Best goalscorer there ever was. Best there ever will be.

His whole attitude, his work ethic — it’s who we are as a team. We played Ryan and the Ducks a month back and we were chatting after the game. We won 7–4 and played pretty well. Ryan was telling me how hard we are to play against, how we can roll four lines and attack in so many different ways. It’s cool to hear that from him because I know he means it and he’s seen a lot of great teams. I think that’s a testament to Coach Carbery and the way he has us playing. We don’t want to be one dimensional out there. We want to be creative, we want to be exciting. That’s how Ovi plays. You don’t score 897 goals doing the same thing, I can tell you that much.

Him and John Carlson, I don’t think you could have two better leaders in the league. They keep our room focused and having fun. That’s the toughest balance in sports, I think. John is one of those players that, when you see him up close, you’re just blown away. He sees the ice like nobody else. He knows every angle and breakout. Just a textbook defensemen.

Guys like that let our young players do their thing. Look at Aliaksei Protas. Dude is built like a horse. He’s 6'6", 240, wins every battle in the corner, great on the wall, makes every pass, fastest guy on the team. Just crazy. I know a lot of people were talking when he signed that five-year contract when he had a career-high six goals, but I mean, c’mon. Look at him. What a player. I thought it was funny when some reporter asked Coach if he could talk about Protas, and Coach said “How long do you have?”

I really love this group.

And I love being a Capital. We love it. My Wife, Tayler, and our two daughters feel completely at home here. Thank you for welcoming us and making us feel a part of the community these last few years, Washington.   

See you at the rink.
—Dylan