Jakob Chychrun’s wife, Olivia, gave birth to their first child yesterday, according to The Washington Post’s Bailey Johnson. Sure enough, Chychrun scored two goals for the Caps against the Panthers on Saturday, which isn’t the first time a Caps player did something spectacular on the ice after the birth of a child.
Though hardly a comprehensive list, here are some recent examples.
Back in November, Dylan Strome learned his third daughter had been born during the first intermission of a game on November 20, 2025 against Montreal. He had three assists in an 8-4 game.
Though he missed a game due to the birth of his son in October of 2023, Former Caps goalie Darcy Kuemper secured a 3-2 shootout win for the Capitals over the Calgary Flames, making 38 saves.
Former Caps defenseman Matt Irwin scored his first goal as a Capital in 2022, just hours after his wife gave birth to their second child the day prior. The Caps won, 9-2, and he also had an assist.
John Carlson scored a goal in a playoff game against the Penguins in 2018, the day after his wife gave birth to their second son on the Friday night before the game. The Caps won Game 5, 6-3.
Connor McMichael had a pre-birth goal streak. On October 23, 2024, the day his girlfriend went into labor, he scored two unanswered goals against the Philadelphia Flyers, securing a 6-3 victory.
We’ll look for more examples of the Caps’ ‘Dad Strength.’