Bears' Ben Johnson named 'mayor' after shirtless stunt earns free food for Chicago
Brandon Johnson, slide over a bit. Apparently there's new Mayor of Chicago.
This is the power of the Bears, Ben Johnson, a 9-3 record, shirtless hijinx and, most importantly, free food.
Thousands of Chicagoans stood in lines more than a mile long and in freezing temperatures Tuesday - some of the them shirtless - to celebrate the Bears' most recent win. To applaud the team's ascension to the No. 1 seed in the NFC. And to eat free hot dogs, courtesy of new "mayor" Ben Johnson.
Credit to Chicago landmark restaurant Wieners Circle for starting a trend that is fueling and feeding Bears fans. It began in September when the restaurant casually promised that if Bears' quarterback Caleb Williams threw four touchdown passes against the Dallas Cowboys they would give every customer a free hot dog.
Williams did. Fans ate. And, apparently, Ben Johnson was paying attention.
Because Wieners Circle also recently said it would give away more free food if the head coach would take of his shirt after a win. The Bears upset the Philadelphia Eagles on Black Friday, Johnson did an impromptu strip in the locker room and ... the rest is history in the making.
"After that game everyone was excited and the moment felt right," Johnson explained on this week's podcast with ESPN NFL analyst Peter Schrager. "I also knew the longer the season goes the more my body keeps deteriorating ... so I might as well let the cat out of the bag at this point. ... It's a huge win for us. To be able to bring the city into it, and to make them feel like they have some ownership in it. That was intent behind the whole thing."
Next stop for the Bears, beating the Green Bay Packers Sunday at Lambeau Field. Next stop for Ben, Governor Johnson?
'Until It Smacks Us All in the Face': Capitals’ Tom Wilson Gets Honest on Alex Ovechkin’s Retirement Decision
Alex Ovechkin is entering the final year of his contract with the Washington Capitals, and for now, he is not planning too far ahead.
Ovechkin scored 44 goals last season despite missing 16 games with a broken leg, lifting his career total to 897. "The Great Eight" is now just three shy of becoming the first player to reach 900 regular-season goals, while also sitting nine games from the 1,500 mark.
Longtime Ovechkin teammate Tom Wilson took a light approach to a question related to the uncertainty surrounding Ovechkin's future with the Capitals, and hockey overall.
“If he’s playing well and he’s scoring goals and he wants to stick around, I’m sure they will figure a way to keep him around. If he doesn’t want to play another year, then he won’t play a year,” Wilson said. “I think he’s a guy that’s just a staple here. No one will really think about him not being around here until it smacks us all in the face.”
Asked at media day about his impending retirement or signing of an extension with the Capitals, the 40-year-old captain brushed aside speculation.
“No, (I have not thought about that) yet,” Ovechkin said. “So, we’ll see what’s going to happen. I just came back (to Washington) almost a week ago, so I’m pretty sure we have lots of time to talk.”
Even though Ovechkin still has a few milestones at an arm's reach, the Russian winger said the focus this year is less about milestones and more about team success.
“You just get tired to hear, ‘When’s it going to happen? Are you going to do it?’” Ovechkin said. “Right now, we’re just focusing on different things.”
General manager Chris Patrick emphasized the organization’s patience when it comes to Ovechkin's future, leaving the door open to all options when the right time arrives.
“I want him to have the space to have this season go how he wants it to go,” Patrick said. “If he wants to talk, we’ll talk. If not, we’ll figure it out later.”
The Capitals open their season on October 8 against the Boston Bruins, with Ovechkin’s future beyond this year still undecided.
Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin suffers lower-body injury on Day 1 of training camp
The Washington Capitals are coming off a Metropolitan Division title that ended in playoff disappointment. They lost in the second round to the Carolina Hurricanes after a historic end to the regular season. Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin is back for likely his last NHL season after breaking the goals record, but he suffered a lower-body injury on Day 1 of training camp. But Spencer Carbery says his absence was precautionary.
“Ovechkin’s injury is ‘nothing significant,’ per Carbery. Said that him not skating was precautionary. No big concern. Lower-body, day-to-day,” Sammi Silber of The Hockey News reported.
Silber went on to report that Ovechkin did not hit the ice during Friday’s practice, which was the second day of training camp. The Capitals have over two weeks until the regular-season opener, so the concern is low with training camp just underway.
Ovechkin’s contract expires after the 2025-26 season, which has led to a lot of speculation that his NHL career will end this year. With Wayne Gretzky’s goal record broken, he has made his mark on the league and the franchise. With a playoff-caliber core around him, he does have a chance to go out on top.
Ovechkin missed 17 games last season due to a broken leg, but still tallied 44 goals, his highest total since 2021-22. While the injuries are piling up for a player at the end of his run, he can still fill up the net, unlike many others. He will be key to the Capitals’ success this season, and an injury could get the season off on the wrong foot.
The Capitals took a massive leap forward last season, jumping from the last team in the East playoffs to division champs. Can they recreate their 2024-25 magic with high expectations this season?
The Capitals open the season at home on October 8 against the Boston Bruins.
