Take 5, with Karl Alzner

Posted on February 19, 2012

It’s an off day here in Raleigh, as the Capitals prepare to take on the Carolina Hurricanes Monday night. It’s a perfect day to catch up with another member of the Washington Capitals for our “Take 5” segment. We asked Karl Alzner five questions today, from his fandom of baseball to his favorite places in Washington, to his favorite TV channel. His answers (and some links to some of his faves) are below.  1. Are you a baseball fan, and if so, what is your favorite team? Warmer weather is drawing closer in our nation’s capital, and soon baseball will be back on the field. While Alzner is a fan of the game, he’s not likely to be glued to the game on television, checking details in the box scores or figuring the best way to assemble a fantasy team. But like many Canadian born athletes that grew up in the 1990’s, Karl does have a soft spot for the team that plays its home games at Rogers Centre. He can also be seen during pregame warmup tossing around the horsehide with Joel Ward, where his Canadian flag glove gets a little use. Alzner on baseball: “I consider myself a baseball fan, although I don’t follow pro baseball closely”, Alzner said. If I have a favorite team, it would be the Toronto Blue Jays. I have a glove at home that has the Canadian flag on it”. 2. What is your favorite place in Washington? When it comes to favorite places in Washington to visit, the subject quickly turned to food for number 27. Even narrowing the favorite places list down to restaurants, Alzner still went with two places in two different categories. For strictly food, you’re likely to find him downtown. But for the overall dining experience, perhaps you’ll see him over in Old Town in Alexandria. Alzner on his favorite places in Washington: “I love the food at Capital Grille, that’s a place I like to go to”, Alzner said.  “But overall, Virtue in old town Alexandria is my favorite. It has everything I like, the food, the way it’s decorated, the atmosphere, it’s my kind of place.  It just feels right to me.” 3. What is one television channel you can’t live without? For most players with a lot of down time on the road between games, or time after practice to take it easy, television is a refuge. Narrowing down to a favorite channel may be tough for some, but not for this Burnaby, B.C. native.  If you’re a fan of the television network A and E, you’ve got at least one thing in common with Karl Alzner. Alzner on his favorite TV channel: “I’m a fan of anything on A&E, especially The First 48. I don’t really like too much made for TV dramas like CSI, I like shows based on reality.” 4. What was your worst road trip, either in the minors or junior? Karl Alzner is a former Western Hockey League player, having skated with the Calgary Hitmen on his way to the NHL. Which means he can trump almost any other road trip nightmare story any other player can dish out. The WHL has teams from Seattle to Manitoba, and bus travel through the winter can be especially grueling. For Alzner, the tough trek that quickly comes to mind is a snow filled night in western Canada during his junior days with the Calgary Hitmen. Alzner on his worst road trip in juniors: “We went from Prince George to Calgary, we left right after the game and didn’t get there until 1:30 in the afternoon the next day.  It snowed all night. Only food we got was at a McDonalds along the way around 6:00 a.m. I believe we won the game, but I don’t remember what the final score was. But I remember the trip home.” 5. What, to date, is your best moment in hockey? All the sacrifices, early morning practices, and three game weekends in the minors all pay off for everyone once they make the NHL. The moment for Alzner that ranks above all others to date came on November 26, 2008 at Verizon Center. After being drafted fifth overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, Alzner made his NHL debut that night against the Atlanta Thrashers. Alzner on his best moment in hockey so far: “For sure, my best moment in hockey was coming down the tunnel and taking a couple of laps before the anthem in my first NHL game. That’s a moment you never forget, looking up and seeing the crowd around you.”