The Washington Capitals Are Giving Players ‘Cobra Kai’ Headbands As MVP Awards This Season

The Washington Capitals are fresh off a win against Buffalo Sabres to start the 2021 NHL season, and now we know what head coach Peter Laviolette was watching while the Caps were on in the offseason. The Caps head coach saw his squad start the year with a 6-4 win in Buffalo, and in his postgame speech introduced a new element to team awards inspired by Cobra Kai.

The web series — which debuted on YouTube but was picked up by Netflix and saw a third season premiere on New Year’s Day — apparently has a big fan in Laviolette, who introduced two headbands representing the titular dojo and its rival Miyagi Do.

“I was off for a whole year, so I watched every show out there. Every series out there,” Laviolette said on Thursday night. “The best series by far was Cobra Kai. So I thought about it and got this bandana right here for the most offensive player of the game.”

Laviolette then awards it to T.J. Oshie, tying the black headband on him while the players react. But he’s not done yet.

“Then there’s Miyagi’s camp. That’s strike, first hard,” he said, pointing to Oshie’s headband. “Miyagi’s all about defense.”

The two winners then squared up for some fake karate, with Oshie setting up for a crane kick he never delivered. But the team seemed enthused by the new awards, which should make for some fun if the Caps keep winning.

The show’s Twitter account clearly appreciated the love as well.

And Cobra Kai showrunner and co-creator Jon Hurwitz certainly sounds like he has a new favorite hockey team now that he’s seen them embrace his show.

We’ll see if a third dojo gets some recognition from the Caps at some point this season. Though perhaps that would best be saved for an outdoor game, if possible.