Secret sauce keeps Mangiapane cooking with Capitals

Feature Photo: Getty Images

After a summer of changes on and off the ice, Andrew Mangiapane has turned his focus to a familiar goal.

As far as offseasons go, the 28-year-old Mangiapane had himself quite a memorable one.

Less than two weeks before he married his longtime partner, Claudia, the forward was traded from the Calgary Flames – the club for which he’d spent his entire NHL career – to the Washington Capitals.

“The wedding was awesome,” said Mangiapane, who celebrated the day with several teammates, past and present in his hometown of Toronto.

“You don’t get many chances like that to have your family and friends all together with you at the same time – especially when you’re away from home every season.”

One guest, a teammate from his Calgary days, has remained in Mangiapane’s thoughts since the July 13 ceremony.

“Obviously, it’s extra special now when I look back, that I was able to spend some extra time with Johnny Gaudreau,” shared Mangiapane, of the beloved Columbus Blue Jackets forward, who was killed along with his brother Matthew on Aug. 29 in New Jersey.

Support, from family, friends, and fellow players has been abundant for Mangiapane in the aftermath of the tragedy.

Originally selected by the Flames in the sixth round of the 2015 NHL Draft, the veteran of over 400 NHL regular-season games received a warm welcome in the days following the announcement of his trade to the Metropolitan Division squad.

“The reception has been great since I got traded. A lot of the guys reached out to welcome me to the team in the middle of summer, which was nice – I know summers are super hectic.

“They have a great group of guys here and I’m just happy to be a part of it.”

In Mangiapane, they have a versatile and effective two-way player.

Last season, Mangiapane recorded 40 points in 75 games with the Flames. He has reached the 40-point mark in each of the last three seasons and recorded a career-high 55 points in 2021-22.

“I’ve been really impressed with how easy it’s been to get along with the guys.

“I’ve never been traded before, so I didn’t really know what to expect. Training camp was a lot of fun. This group has been really easy going, but obviously, we still have been putting in the work.”

Mangiapane, along with the rest of his Capitals teammates, could bear witness to NHL history in 2024-25.

Team captain Alexander Ovechkin, whose stacked trophy case includes a Stanley Cup and three Ted Lindsay Awards, entered the season 42 goals short of eclipsing Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals scored record of 894.

The 39-year-old, who has played his entire NHL career with Washington, has recorded nine 50-goal campaigns.

“Obviously, he’s got a great shot and when you pass him the puck he can score from any position,” said Mangiapane. 

“The thing for me that stands out the most though for me is his work ethic – he’s been in the league for 20 seasons and he’s still showing up early, doing the workouts, and keeping his routines.

“He is still putting in the work.”

The captain also helped out Mangiapane on his first goal as a member of the Capitals with a little secret sauce. Prior to the Oct. 19 overtime victory against the New Jersey Devils, Ovechkin handed Mangiapane a little seasoning to help with his shot.

“It wasn’t like a ketchup packet, it was just — I don’t even know if it’s like the steak sauce or the chicken or whatever,” Mangiapane told RMNB. “He said, ‘Have this and you’ll score.’ So, then I had it and ended up scoring, and that’s basically it.”

Following that goal, Mangiapane continues to be dialed in on in his first season in Washington.

“I want to be a player and teammate who is ready to go every shift, forecheck hard and help create scoring opportunities.

“Whatever I can to help the team win is my top priority.”