Bogdan Trineyev recently made his NHL debut for the Washington Capitals, playing in two games during two different stints with the team. <\/p>\n
Speaking to Sport-Express about the experience, Trineyev dished on the origins of his new nickname with the capitals and how he ended up with the number 87. He also recalled the warm welcome he received from the Caps, including from head coach Spencer Carbery, captain Alex Ovechkin, and his close friend Aliaksei Protas.<\/p>\n
When Trineyev first arrived, he said he had \u201ca quick and personal conversation\u201d with Carbery.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter practice, he told me to stop by,\u201d Trineyev said per Sport-Express<\/a> and a translation via Google Translate. \u201cFirst, he congratulated me, then explained that if I had any questions, I could feel free to ask \u2014 either the guys or him directly. We\u2019ve all been training together for years, so overall, a lot of things were clear, and there weren\u2019t any difficult moments. Plus, we play the same system at Hershey.\u201d<\/p>\n He added that the message \u201cwas simple: they told me to keep working. I was pleased, of course, but I knew I\u2019d arrived but hadn\u2019t played a single game yet, so the main thing was to keep doing my job.\u201d<\/p>\n After making the two-hour drive from Hershey, Trineyev initially rented a hotel in Washington, but decided not to stay there.<\/p>\n \u201cAliaksei Protas took me in,\u201d Trineyev said<\/a>. \u201c[We lived] together. It\u2019s much more comfortable and fun than a hotel.\u201d<\/p>\n Trineyev added of Big Pro, \u201che\u2019s a really nice guy. We met back in Hershey. All the guys are positive. Aliaksei is always ready to help, to offer advice on things. At first, if we had any questions, we could go somewhere together. They helped me with both the documents and the language. When I first arrived in Hershey, Sanya Alexeyev (Alex Alexeyev) and Lyokha Protas (Aliaksei Protas) were there. They gave me a lot of advice, explained what needed to be done and how.\u201d<\/p>\n Trineyev also received a lot of help and support from Ovechkin, who he said he could only call by his formal Russian name, Alexander Mikhailovich,<\/a> out of deep respect for the legendary hockey player.<\/p>\n Ovechkin, though, was very happy for his fellow countryman and was happy to share the spotlight with the 23-year-old prospect, pointing a cameraman in Trineyev\u2019s direction as he got ready for his NHL debut in the locker room.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, when the camera panned to me, I was a little confused,\u201d Trineyev said<\/a>. \u201cI don\u2019t know if it was obvious, but I started putting my jersey on, forgot something, and got a little confused. That\u2019s normal \u2014 it\u2019s your first game, you\u2019re nervous. The guys all understood and supported me. My teammates, the staff, and the coaching staff all helped. Many were happy \u2014 some of them I played with in Hershey, some of them I worked with there, so we shared that moment together.\u201d<\/p>\n When Trineyev arrived in the tunnel ahead of warmups, Ovechkin called him \u201cBogdan Crosby\u201d due to his number 87. They then hugged each other.<\/p>\n \u201cIt just happened,\u201d Trineyev said of the nickname. \u201cWhen I came to Washington, I took number 88 \u2014 the same number I had at (KHL) Dynamo (Moscow). I just decided not to change it. Later, an older player who had already played in the NHL joined the team, and he took 88. They gave me 87. Since I\u2019m young, I didn\u2019t have much choice or change anything, so I decided to keep it. And then the jokes started \u2014 number 87, and here comes Bogdan Crosby.\u201d<\/p>\n Trineyev asked if his Capitals nickname has stuck.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope not,\u201d he replied laughing. \u201cBut for now, I\u2019m Bogdan Crosby.\u201d<\/p>\n Trineyev wore number 88 at Capitals\u2019 2023 Training Camp<\/a>, but went to number 87 the following season when Andrew Mangiapane signed a one-year contract with the team<\/a>.<\/p>\n