{"id":852899,"date":"2026-09-19T05:10:12","date_gmt":"2026-09-19T05:10:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/852899\/"},"modified":"2026-09-19T05:10:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-19T05:10:12","slug":"lynden-lakovic-had-never-tried-asparagus-or-cauliflower-then-he-moved-in-with-pierre-luc-dubois","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/852899\/","title":{"rendered":"Lynden Lakovic had never tried asparagus or cauliflower. Then he moved in with Pierre-Luc Dubois."},"content":{"rendered":"

ARLINGTON, VA \u2014 Pierre-Luc Dubois<\/a> has become the Capitals\u2019 go-to host for young players, giving rookies Ryan Leonard<\/a> and Cole Hutson<\/a> a place to live when they joined the NHL.<\/p>\n

Over the summer, Dubois played landlord once again, this time to 19-year-old prospect Lynden Lakovic. Lakovic was the first Capitals prospect to return to DC, arriving in Washington a month before the start of Training Camp, so Dubois offered to house him in the meantime.<\/p>\n

As it turned out, part of Dubois\u2019 job was introducing Lakovic to new foods.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe had never had asparagus in his life,\u201d Dubois said Friday. \u201cHe hadn\u2019t had, like, some basic things. I was like, \u2018Oh, we\u2019re eating cauliflower tonight.\u2019 (He said) \u2018Well, I\u2019ve never had that.\u2019 I think he tried a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lakovic confirmed Dubois\u2019 claim, later adding that he hadn\u2019t had unprocessed tomatoes before living with Dubois.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just wasn\u2019t a big vegetables person growing up,\u201d he said. \u201cMy mom always tried feeding me it, and I wouldn\u2019t really bother. Dubie didn\u2019t force me, but he just put it on my plate, and I kind of had to (eat it). It really wasn\u2019t that bad, so can\u2019t complain, just thank them for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lakovic also offered his opinion on several of the new vegetables.<\/p>\n

Asparagus? \u201cIt\u2019s not really enjoyable, but it doesn\u2019t really taste like anything, so I would have it again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cauliflower? \u201cNot the biggest fan.\u201d<\/p>\n

Raw tomatoes? \u201cI\u2019m a big texture guy, and tomato just never rung my bell\u2026Everyone knows, ketchup and tomato, that\u2019s two different things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Besides vegetables, Dubois had Lakovic try some more exotic meals.<\/p>\n

\u201cSneaky, octopus was really good,\u201d Lakovic said. \u201cBut I\u2019m like, \u2018I haven\u2019t tried that.\u2019 And (Dubois said), \u2018What?\u2019 He looked at me like I was crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though Dubois had readily shared Lakovic\u2019s dietary habits with reporters, Lakovic\u2019s mother apparently had no idea until now.<\/p>\n

\u201cI checked my phone after I got off the ice, and my mom texted me,\u201d Lakovic said. She\u2019s like, \u2018You little shit, I always try to get you to eat all that stuff.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

When Lakovic moved in, hosting young players was already old hat for Dubois, who has now had three tenants in under 18 months.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I have that label attached to me for the rest of my life,\u201d he joked.<\/p>\n

Leonard was the first to live with<\/a> with Dubois, rooming with him after his NHL debut and even returning<\/a> for the start of the following season.<\/p>\n

Leonard struck out on his own once Dubois\u2019 wife gave birth \u2014 \u201cTwo kids in the house and three dogs would be a lot,\u201d Dubois quipped then<\/a> \u2014 but less than six months later, Dubois was inviting Hutson<\/a> to take Leonard\u2019s old room.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast year with Ryan was a lot of fun, so doing it again was a no-brainer,\u201d Dubois said then.<\/p>\n

So when Lakovic decided to spend several weeks in DC before camp, he called up Dubois to ask for a place to stay.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe chatted before I came down,\u201d Lakovic said. \u201cI planned on coming down a little bit early, be with the guys and take some contact before camp started. I reached out to Dubie, and he was more than welcoming to let me stay at his place. I really appreciate that, and he was great.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pair even had time to attend a football game at the University of Virginia, which Lakovic later posted on Instagram.<\/p>\n

\"Pierre-Luc\ud83d\udcf8: @lyndenlakovic17\/Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n

Lakovic, unlike Leonard and Hutson, has not made the jump to the NHL and is expected to spend this season with the AHL\u2019s Hershey Bears. Though he was in the race<\/a> for last year\u2019s WHL goal-scoring lead before an upper-body injury<\/a> ended his season with the Moose Jaw Warriors, he\u2019s still developing, and the Capitals already have tight enough competition for their 23 roster spots.<\/p>\n

But Dubois knows all too well how it feels to be in Lakovic\u2019s shoes. Back in 2016, Dubois lived in a single hotel room for six weeks as a Columbus Blue Jackets<\/a> prospect; he now hosts young players so they can avoid that fate.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not fun,\u201d he previously said of the experience. \u201cYou want to \u2013 you don\u2019t want to go home, but you want to be at home. You want to be in a home. And to play with that mindset is kind of tough.\u201d<\/p>\n

RMNB\u2019s Ian Oland first discovered the pair\u2019s living situation at the Laughlin Family Foundation\u2019s 6th Annual \u201cSwing for a Cure\u201d Celebrity Golf Tournament, which Lakovic and Dubois attended together.<\/p>\n

Not only could Dubois offer Lakovic a room in his house, but he offered advice ahead of Lakovic\u2019s first pro season, especially about life off the ice.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore of it is \u2014 we\u2019ve talked about on-ice stuff for sure, but he\u2019s been a great mentor,\u201d Lakovic said. \u201cHe took in Leno, he took in Hutty last year, and him taking it in me, I\u2019m very thankful. We kind of talked about some on-ice stuff, but some off-ice stuff as well, taking care of your body.\u201d<\/p>\n

Living with Dubois also allowed Lakovic to spend time with Dubois\u2019 growing family.<\/p>\n

\u201cDubie and his wife Maddie were unbelievable,\u201d he said. \u201cI definitely learned some things, and I had a good time there\u2026 I really appreciate him and Maddie and their new son. It was a good time for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dubois similarly praised Lakovic as a guest, noting how much he\u2019s had fun with each young player he\u2019s hosted.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe three of them, they\u2019re all just nice people,\u201d Dubois said. \u201cPolite, respectful. They\u2019re all different, different personalities but all three of them have those \u2014 [respect] and politeness and cleanliness, that just made it enjoyable for all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

After inviting Leonard to move in, Dubois quickly learned that housing rookies means teaching them how to cook and eat. He told reporters that Leonard was particularly bad at it when he first arrived (though Leonard disputed that characterization).<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t want any fires in the house (with Hutson), so we\u2019ll start slow,\u201d Dubois said<\/a> after inviting Hutson to live with him. \u201cWe\u2019ll see where he\u2019s at. Can\u2019t be worse than Ryan, though\u2026Ryan wasn\u2019t a good cook.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was a good cook at the Dubois household,\u201d Leonard argued.<\/p>\n

By the time Leonard left, he\u2019d branched out into marinating meat and assembling pre-made meals, while Hutson was apparently cooking the family pasta<\/a> within days of his arrival.<\/p>\n

Thanks to Dubois, Lakovic\u2019s new, expanded diet has already paid off. Lakovic knew he needed to add bulk even before his injury cost him valuable conditioning time. By the time he got the sling off, he said, \u201cIt\u2019s like I didn\u2019t even have an arm. It just was pretty much bone, it looked like.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lakovic had already gained weight earlier in the summer, but living with Dubois only accelerated that process. He gained seven pounds in just three weeks, now at a comfortable 215 pounds going into the season.<\/p>\n

Now back in the hotel with other Capitals rookies, Lakovic will likely move again soon, this time to Hershey, Pa for his first pro season. Thanks to his time at the Dubois house, he\u2019ll have plenty of food options once he\u2019s there.<\/p>\n

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