On Monday afternoon, Washington Capitals forward Nic Dowd spoke to the media on a Zoom call following Group Blue’s practice and an intra-squad scrimmage on the seventh day of training camp. He discussed why he never thought to opt-out of the playoffs, production on the fourth line, and thoughts on teammate and defenseman John Carlson being a finalist for the Norris Trophy.
“I was excited to play hockey again,” Dowd said about the NHL’s Return to Play Plan. Dowd added that he “never thought to opt-out”, which several NHL players have chosen to do so with family and personal matters as top priorities.
Prior to the league pause, the fourth line composed of himself, Richard Panik and Garnet Hathaway ramped up production. The 30-year old is looking to pick up right where they left off and “find it’s groove” again.
Earlier today, Carlson was named a finalist for the Norris Trophy, which is presented annually to the top defenseman in the league. “I think he was the best defenseman in the NHL,” Dowd said. He expressed how Carlson is great on the power-play and an overall smart player, but said he defensive side gets often “overshadowed” with his offensive ability.
The Huntsville, Alabama, native rarely played hockey outdoors unless his youth team traveled up north or to Canada, which Dowd said he was always excited about. “We’re not going to be breaking out the mini-sticks in the hallway, at least I don’t think so,” he said about comparing life in the NHL bubble (Toronto, Eastern Conference hub city) to tournaments back in the day.
By Della Young
