Colorado Avalanche: The Strange Shenanigans of Andre Burakovsky

Colorado Avalanche’s latest acquisition Andre Burakovsky is an interesting character off the ice.

Having traded two picks and Scott Kosmachuk for winger Andre Burakovsky the Colorado Avalanche have acquired a player who has issues with consistency but who has the potential, if he can prove himself, to be a speedy addition to the second line.

What’s interesting to me, though, is what the Avalanche are getting with Burakovsky off the ice. Prior to this trade I knew very little about him as a player, but had heard numerous stories of some of the weird, funny and sometimes ridiculous things that have happened to him during his time with the Washington Capitals. Here’s just a small number of them.

• Got into a stranger’s car by mistake

It’s an easy mistake to make. You’ve ordered an Uber, it’s dark, a car pulls up and you jump in. Except the car Burakovsky jumped into was not his Uber. Lucky for him the car belonged to some Capitals fans who gave him a ride to where he needed to go.

• Has interesting pre-game superstitions

Having pre-game superstitions isn’t that unusual in hockey. Most players have routines they like to stick to on game days, and some are more superstitious than others about sticking to those routines.

Burakovsky’s is slightly more unusual though. In an interview with NHLPA he mentions that the strangest superstition he’s aware of is Alexander Ovechkin biting him before every game. There’s even a photograph of it happening.

It’s unclear from the wording whether this superstition is Ovechkin’s or Burakovsky’s, but if it’s one of Burakovsky’s I’m imagining a very awkward conversation with Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog when the next season starts later in the year.

• Is not good at wrestling

By now most Avalanche fans are aware of the infamous incident where Tyson Barrie was injured while wrestling in a hotel room during the 2017 World Championship. Well, it seems he’s not alone in his inability to wrestle. The top right picture in the below tweet shows Burakovsky pinned underneath a cheery looking Nicklas Bäckström who doesn’t appear to have even broken a sweat.

• Doesn’t know how to dress for cold weather

In 2016 the US got hit by a polar vortex meaning the weather was far colder than usual. As the Washington Capitals prepared for a flight Alexander Ovechkin made sure the more vulnerable members of his team were protected from the cold. It’s clear from the photo that Ovechkin is dressed sensibly for the weather with a hat and scarf whereas Burakovsky appears to be wearing just regular clothes. No hat, scarf or gloves despite the unusually cold weather.

Avalanche players may need to keep an eye on Burakovsky to make sure he doesn’t accidentally come down with pneumonia, especially given how often it snows in Denver.

• Failed his driver’s test on camera

As part of a feature for the Capitals, Burakovsky and Australian center Nathan Walker took their driver’s tests on camera. Walker passed, Burakovsky did not.

Editor’s note: Apparently he finally did get his driver’s license because word on the street is he once drove off after practice… forgetting that he’d given Tom Wilson a ride. How you forget a giant presence like that, we’ll never know.

Given that most of these incidents happened in the last year or two it’s clear the Avalanche are going to need to appoint a Team Dad to make sure Burakovsky doesn’t get into any trouble. If he re-signs with the team Colin Wilson could be an option. Burakovsky used to be roommates with Tom Wilson so he’s used to having a Wilson watching out for him.