#Evgeny Kuzmetsov

[thornescratch]

The general rule on teams is for all players to speak English when it pertains to hockey. There's not much that needs to be said on the ice, so even if a player's English isn't great, he can find a way to get his point across.

"We're not Ernest Hemingway out there," Capitals goalie Braden Holtby explains. "We're like cavemen, really, with one-word answers. We're really dumbing things down here."

This should be the Caps team slogan for 2017-2018: We’re Not Ernest Hemingway Out There

Consider the Capitals, who have several Russian players, many of whom are linemates. "On the ice, they're talking in Russian about a play," Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn says. "And you kind of wonder what they have going on.”

The Capitals also have a Swedish faction. Last season, Washington's top power-play unit often featured Swedes Marcus Johansson and Nicklas Backstrom. Winger T.J. Oshie, an American, was on the ice too.

"They spoke in Swedish when they were running their little plays," Oshie says. "So before the faceoff, they didn't tell me at all what's going on. I'd just stand there and wait for them to make their plays. I'll just go to the same spot. I'm like, 'I'll just be ready when it comes to my stick.'"

No, wait, our new slogan is I'll Just Be Ready When It Comes To My Stick