We've Got Another NHLer Accused Of Putting Ketchup On Pasta And This Time It's Alex Ovechkin

The NHL has a bunch of players in Las Vegas this week for the NHL Players Media Tour, and while some of the biggest names in the league are in Sin City helping to cook up some content for the upcoming season, some fun details are trickling out.

Well, mostly fun, and one that's pretty troubling…

ESPN's John Buccigross was in town for the occasion and tweeted a few highlights from what he had heard from players so far at this year's media tour.

I don't know what jumps out at you, but I know I couldn't get past John Carlson dropping a dime on Alex Ovechkin and claiming the Great 8 (allegedly) squirts a little Heinz on his pasta.

This is not the first time that this accusation has been levied at Ovechkin, a man whose dietary habits are almost as legendary as his absurd goal-scoring ability. According to Capitals blog Russian Machine Never Breaks, Carlson made the same accusation about ketchup on pasta and said that Ovie asked for some ketchup (catsup?) during a team dinner at his aunt's house.

It's interesting to me that this is coming up again because just a few months ago, now-San Jose Sharks forward Alex Wennberg was taking some heat for the same thing. I'm not here to food shame, but this just seems wrong. Some have argued that ketchup being tomato-based makes this less weird, but the viscosity and sweetness of ketchup — and the fact that it's a condiment, not a sauce, makes this a tough one to accept.

But what I can't get over is that Ovechkin's affinity for Italian food is legendary. This is the same guy former Capital Brooks Orpik told The Players Tribune that eats chicken parm from the same joint every game and was also known to infuriate teammates by using the same ladle to serve himself marinara sauce and Alfredo sauce (colloquially known as "crossing the sauce").

The guy knows Italian food, so was he just trying to horrify John Carlson's aunt by asking to put some ketchup on her baked ziti?

I don't know, but I guess if he scores at the rate he does, he can eat whatever he wants.

Whether that's a Subway sandwich and Flamin' Hot Cheetos or pasta and ketchup.