Boychuk Sings Sandler Song For Scouts

The Caps have had some pretty good drafts of late. Sure, Alex Ovechkin was an easy pick, but they bucked some conventional wisdom and took Nicklas Backstrom over Phil Kessel in 2006, and snagged a pair of already full-time NHL defensemen - Jeff Schultz and Mike Green - with two of the last four picks in the 2004 draft (wonder if Dallas is kicking themselves for taking Mark Fistric one spot ahead of Green), a draft from which five Caps picks have already played in the League.

Slowly but surely, though, one of the secrets to the Caps' draft success may be coming to light. Last year at around this time, it was revealed that the Caps asked some "strange" questions of potential draftees:

"They asked me if I would take a pill to be the best player in the world," said [Mikael] Backlund. "I said, 'No, I try to be the best player without the pill.' They liked that answer."

They also spoke with Russian Ruslan Bashkirov through impromptu translator Akim Aliu, not because they were interested in Bashkirov, but because they wanted to get an insight into Aliu's character (or so the story goes).

Fast forward a year and the Caps' scouts are at it again:

As it turned out, Zach Boychuk did hear the request correctly.

The Washington Capitals did want him to sing.

Sing? Yes, sing.

In a blur of interviews with 23 teams at the National Hockey League's prospects combine in late May in Toronto, this oddball demand, not surprisingly, stood out.

But what's a guy to do?

Clear his throat, that's what.

"They'd asked me what my favourite movie is, and I'd said, 'Billy Madison,' " recalls Boychuk. "There's a song in there (Adam Sandler) sings about going back to school. So I sang the song that Billy Madison sings. It was pretty funny."

I don't know which is most interesting - these personality tests generally, that when asked to sing something, Boychuk went with this (though I guess it's better than "I'll Tumble 4 Ya"), or that the Caps are spending time getting to know the eighth-rated North American skater, who almost surely will not be available when their first pick (23rd overall) rolls around. Hmm...

Puking & Pills: The Nicole Richie Story NHL Draft Combine

What a lovely caption to go with your Saturday morning coffee! All you ever wanted to know about puking and the Draft Combine, courtesy Canada.com (and if that's not enough for you, check this out from last year's coverage).

Also noteworthy in the article is this passage:

[Sweden's Mikael Backlund] was not thrown by some of the "strange" questions posed by the Washington Capitals, who choose fifth overall.

"They asked me if I would take a pill to be the best player in the world," said Backlund. "I said, 'No, I try to be the best player without the pill.' They liked that answer."

The Capitals also seemed impressed with the Sudbury Wolves' Akim Aliu, who was more than happy to showcase his Russian when Ruslan Bashkirov's interpreter went missing.

Try not, Mikael. Do or do not - there is no try.