(via the Capitals)
Former Caps forward Alexander Semin took in the Capitals game on Thursday. The crowd cheered for him as he stood, clapped and waved.
SASHA!!!
Good to have you back in the District#ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/0y6oKl9lOl
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) January 27, 2023
Called an ‘enigma‘ in countless headlines, Semin played for the Caps from 2003 to 2012, scoring 197 goals and 211 assists in 469 games. While the majority of his career was in Washington, he kept signing one-year contracts, and eventually took off to Carolina. He played parts of four more seasons, including 15 games in Montreal, before returning to his home country of Russia, where he continued playing until his retirement.
Semin had many memorable moments in D.C., most notably the time he got into a fight and hit his opponent – Marc Staal – as if he were playing the bongos. He once threw a puck in the net. He used to keep taking neutral zone hooking penalties. He pretended not to speak English so he wouldn’t have to talk to the press, but totally spoke English. He went on scoring binges, then disappeared. Teammates had a very inappropriate nickname for him (it’s another word for what his last name sounds like). It’s also nice to see that he no longer has Russian military obligations (he once missed a season for that).
After the game, Alex Ovechkin was asked what Semin was doing there, but Ovi wouldn’t say. “He’s gonna find a job here,” he joked.
Anyway, good to see you again, Semin.
Alex Semin at the @Capitals game tonight @CapitalOneArena. He says hello to all Caps fans!#ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/8KJmUIKM2B
— Ted Leonsis (@TedLeonsis) January 27, 2023
