The Caps’ Bradley: “This Year Is Kind of Do or Die”

Matt Bradley talks to OFB after an informal veterans' skate at Kettler. Photo by OFB's Alexander Perlmutter.

Capitals forward Matt Bradley harbors no illusions about the pressures facing the Caps this season to go deeper in the playoffs after a disappointing few years of early postseason exits.

“I think this year is kind of do or die,” Bradley said at Kettler Monday. “We have to make something happen.”

Bradley said having a young son in the house is forcing him up a bit earlier in the morning and to bed a little earlier at night, but his approach to offseason conditioning remains as intense as his teammates without family commitments.

“I have to work out just as hard or harder,” Bradley said. “It’s a contract year for me, and obviously we [the Capitals] weren’t happy the way we finished, so I think we all probably worked out harder than normal just because we have something to prove this year.”

OFB also asked Bradley to clear the record on something – his official bio on the Washington Capitals website says Tiger Woods is his favorite athlete.

“I’m a bandwagon guy – my new favorite golfer is Dustin Johnson,” said Bradley, while acknowledging Woods’ athletic ability. “The way he [Johnson] dealt with the two big losses throughout this year…it’s pretty neat and to see him come back and win this weekend, was pretty incredible.”

(If you’re like me and don’t follow golf, here’s the coolest article on Dustin Johnson I could find.)

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