With training camp about a month away, the informal practice sessions at MedStar Capitals Iceplex are starting to pick up — in both attendance and intensity.
Earlier this week, the group included Evgeny Kuznetsov, Anthony Mantha, John Carlson, Lars Eller, Carl Hagelin, Garnet Hathaway and Joe Snively, as well as former first-round picks Alex Alexeyev and Hendrix Lapierre and free agent Brett Connolly (who is not returning to D.C., by the way).
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Following another hour-long session, which was run by goalie coach Scott Murray and ended with grueling goal-line-to-goal-line gassers, Hathaway sat down with The Athletic for a wide-ranging interview that touched on honing his craft at age 30, the Caps’ busy free agent signing period and Carl Hagelin’s perseverance.
(Questions and answers have been lightly edited for length and clarity)
You’re a guy with New England roots, and I know there are some good NHL skates up there in the summer. Why do you make Washington your offseason base?
(Last summer) my training went really well. I felt really good going into the season. Every offseason — it’s funny — as you continue to play pro, you learn more about yourself. What you need, what was good, what may need improvement. I felt good on the ice. I felt good off the ice. I felt competitive and ready going to camp, and that’s what you want.
I loved where I was training up in Mass. I was in Foxborough at a place called EPS with (strength and conditioning coach) Brian McDonough. A lot of guys who played pro, a lot of NHLers, a lot of New England guys. It was a really competitive, a great environment to work out in. And I miss it. Miss the guys there, but life changes.
That’s the most important thing — you continue to learn what your training needs as you get a year older, as you have another year under your belt. The setup here (in Washington) is unbelievable. We have a great facility. On top of that, it’s the staff. It’s the equipment guys who are here all the time, helping you out. Medical guys, if you need anything, watching the ice. And then the guys in the gym — Nemo (Mark Nemish) and Zach (Leddon), they take it very seriously.
Clearly, training here is working for you. You just had your most productive year in the NHL, which doesn’t normally happen at 29, 30, right?
There are so many variables that go into a season. And you know what? It was my best point-wise. But I don’t think I always look at my game and say, ‘Hey, I had a point tonight so that was a great night.’ Because I don’t really think that’s how I evaluate myself. Looks nice. Feels nice. But it feels a lot better to win games. My presence on the ice isn’t valued by points but rather those other variables and attributes I bring to the game.
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But, yeah, it was a good year.
A career-high 14 goals and 26 points. Where do you hope things go from there? You stayed in town and are you’re training the same way you did last summer. Is there more runway there? How do you measure that?
That’s why I’m still playing, right? You always want more. That’s my goal. My individual goal every year is to have a better year than I did the year before. And for the most part, I’ve been able to do that. When you look in the mirror after the season, you say, ‘Hey, what went well? How can I improve?’ It’s about learning, asking yourself what you can do better.
About still learning at 30 years old, the greats talk about that all the time. LeBron James, Sidney Crosby — they’re always working to add a new wrinkle to their game or get better at a specific aspect of it. Do you approach your offseason the same way?
My college assistant coach (Mike Souza, an assistant at Brown who’s now University of New Hampshire head coach) said for me to be pro, I’ve got to find out what I’m good at and then become better than everybody else at it.
So for me, it was finding what I’m good at and perfecting that craft as much as I could.
At the same time, the game’s changing. A guy I’ve been training with a long time, (skills coach) Adam Nicholas from Maine, he trains a lot of NHLers and you watch the stuff he does. Every year, he’s evolving (what he’s teaching). You’re seeing how a guy who watches tons of hockey sees it from the outside in terms of, ‘What ice is open? What plays are available? How can guys who are one-dimensional this way change their game to create space, time, opportunity?’
So that’s just what I’m trying to do, a little bit of both. It’s not like LeBron stops playing in the paint and says, ‘I’ll just pick up 3-pointers.’ Because you can’t forget the other thing that got you here, what makes you different from other players, and what’s made you successful thus far. It’s that old John Wooden quote, ‘If I am through learning, I am through.’
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When you’re done trying to find ways to get better, you’ll be out of the league.
Let’s fast forward to this summer’s busy free agent signing period. Connor Brown’s coming in, Dylan Strome, Darcy Kuemper, Charlie Lindgren, Erik Gustafsson. As a vet, what’s it like seeing all that turnover?
Mac (GM Brian MacLellan) has been doing this for a long time. Doing pretty much that for a long time.
There’s a lot of turnover in the NHL every year, on every team. Teams aim to get better. You look at the teams in our division; every team gets better every year. And you wonder, ‘How does every team continue to get better?’ (Laughing) That’s just the direction of it. GMs are working to improve even the smallest bit and pushing it to the limit to try and become successful in any given window you give them.
I mean, I’m excited. I don’t think we just went out and blindly signed guys. We went out and found guys that will fit into this room. … I’m sure those guys we signed understand the culture that we have and are excited to join it and continue to improve it and try to win.
Goaltending is as big a part of the game as anything, and the Caps landed the top free agent on the market in Darcy Kuemper. What did you think about that move when you saw it?
If you had asked anyone what our goalie situation would’ve been five days before that, no one would’ve guessed that. (Laughing)
I mean, Darcy is coming off an unbelievable season and has had unbelievable seasons for a few years now. And you put a Cup on top of that. You can’t win those with playing subpar hockey. Him and Lindgren? Everyone’s excited.
Do you know any of the guys that are coming in?
I don’t. I know Lindgren and Dowder (Nic Dowd) played together for a year (at St. Cloud State University).
But the league is small enough that … when you’ve played long enough, you know about guys from playing against them. And the guys we signed aren’t fun guys to play against, and those are the guys you want in your team — whether they’re in the net or on the blue line or in the corner against you.
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This team is not getting any younger. Four first-round losses. We talk about that proverbial window and the fact that it’s closing. What’s the vibe among the vets right now?
Guys are as hungry as they ever have been. I don’t feel any different vibe than I did when I was looking to sign here. No one’s ever happy unless we win. Guys are preparing this offseason, trying to get better than they were last year in order to help this team take advantage of the guys we have in this room right now, this season, and getting the most out of everybody.
Last one: I’ve come out to watch these informal skates a couple of times and it’s hard not to notice Carl Hagelin. He’s out there grinding. He looks pretty good to me. What have you observed?
It’s a huge testament to his character with how positive he can be. Since when (the eye injury) happened, he’s been so positive, normal Carl around the room, around the guys, and working hard and showing everyone, ‘Hey, I’m going to do everything I can to get back and play and help this team.’
He looks good. It’s Hags. He hasn’t slowed down a step. I think it just shows his character and how badly he wants it, how much he enjoys this game and how badly he wants to continue playing. It’s a boost for all of us too. He’s a great guy and he’s even funnier when he is buzzing around the rink. You saw it today, he’s out there calling for pucks left and right. I’m like, ‘Let me shoot one, Hags.’ He’s excited and he’s happy and he’s pushing everyone around him.
(Photo: James Guillory / USA Today)