Jakob Chychrun‘s unorthodox approach to health and fitness has made quite some waves in the hockey community. So much so that even podcasts have been hosting his teammates in the hopes of getting some deets. “What is he on right now? Is he on the steak and beef tallow? Or is he doing a kettlebell circuit, or is he doing cartwheels?” asked Jason Demers of the NHL Unscripted Podcast.

The former NHL player asked Chychrun’s teammate Dylan Strome for an update about his fellow defenseman. Despite confessing to not exactly knowing what his teammate was up to at the moment, Strome’s response caught Demers off guard. “I heard yesterday that he’s got no light bulbs. He’s doing candlelight in his house now,” said Strome. Guess who else found the statement surprising? Chychrun himself.

So, Jakob Chychrun cleared the air while speaking to Grant Paulsen and Danny Rouhier on 106.7 the Fan. “This guy just completely threw me under the bus,” the 26-year-old said, amused by how his teammate described his healthy practice. “I told the boys, the last few nights after dinner, we like to turn the lights off in the house and do no artificial light and just light some candles,” revealed the defenseman.

Now, that’s quite far from having no light bulbs. But why exaggerate such a trivial detail? Well, for starters, Dylan Stromer did confess to not knowing the exact details. “I honestly don’t know. He’s a new thing every day,” Strome mentioned before giving his version of the candlelight. After all, it was just something that came up while Jakob Chychrun was having a locker room conversation with his teammates.

Unfortunately, it became quite an annoyance for the offensive defenseman. “Now people think I’m an absolute freak. He completely sewered me, so now I’m dealing with that. I’m like a walking meme right now,” said the 26-year-old. He had to delete social media from his phone because a distracting number of people poked fun at Chychrun’s beeswax candles. And distractions are something he can’t afford right now.

Jakob Chychrun is soaring on the ice

Despite the 2024-25 season being his first with the Capitals, the defenseman has found a home in Washington. The feelings are mutual between the Stanley Cup contenders and Chychrun; they’re also trying to hold on to him for a long run. That’s why General Manager Chris Patrick was “thrilled” to announce that Chychrun has agreed to stay with the Capitals. The Florida native signed a whopping eight-year, $72 million contract with the Capitals for which the front office has been receiving much flak.

That’s $9 million a year. Meanwhile, Patrick could stop praising the hockey icon for contributing to a strong regular season. “His work ethic, skillset, and ability to excel in all situations at both ends of the ice make him a valuable asset to our team,” said the GM about Jakob Chychrun. The monumental contract will make the NHL defenseman the second-highest-paid player on the roster, behind Alex Ovechkin.

However, there’s a good reason why the Washington Capitals shelled out so much for Chychrun. Despite this being the hockey star’s first season with the Capitals, he has already scored more goals than every other defenseman on the roster combined. In fact, the 26-year-old’s 18 goals have made him the third-highest-scoring defenseman in the entire league.

Jakob Chychrun has continued to shine on even after signing the contract. Despite the social media distractions, the defenseman just scored his 26th assist and 44th point of the season against the Winnipeg Jets. So, while Dylan Strome’s claim may have blown things out of proportion, it’s a temporary inconvenience, amidst his hockey success.