Alex Ovechkin lines up a shot at the Calgary Curling Club as the Capitals go curling for dollars — and bragging rights — during an off-day excursion. (Alex Prewitt /For The Washington Post)

The old-timers stopped throwing rocks and peered through the glass windows, wondering about the horde of youngsters who had just entered the Calgary Curling Club, established in 1888. The Washington Capitals came here Thursday afternoon, their lone day off during a road trip to western Canada, with much at stake: cash prizes, funky hats, a tiny trophy called the “Capital Cup” and, perhaps most importantly, bragging rights for the next year.

Some players grew up around these parts, where curling offered another weekend activity to share with classmates, or something to do with a spouse, or the perfect way to keep in touch with childhood chums. In Edmonton, Jason Chimera’s parents curled when he was young. In Vancouver, the sport was part of Troy Brouwer’s curriculum. In Lloydminster, the map-dot town straddling the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan, Braden Holtby competed at the local 4-H Club and now tells teammates he won a provincial championship.

They were the veterans now, tasked with teaching the rookies who might slip and stumble down the ice sheets. Coach Barry Trotz, meanwhile, served as commissioner. He opened a box and produced beanies of different colors, using them to assign teams.

“Welcome to the squad,” Holtby told defensemen Jack Hillen, John Carlson and video coach Brett “Stretch” Leonhardt, whose nickname would surely come in handy.

“That could be an early favorite,” said forward Eric Fehr, who had talked the most locker room trash before the trip .

The Capitals (3-1-2) had arrived in town late the previous night, stewing over a 3-2 loss to Edmonton they felt was a wasted opportunity, for a weekend visit with the Flames (4-3-1 entering Thursday night). But none of that mattered during this team bonding session, hosted by what they soon learned was the busiest curling club in the world.

After a brief lesson, the teams assembled on their respective sheets. They began curling, and the building sprung to life.

“Sweep,” Chimera yelled, “sweep!”

“That was sick,” forward Marcus Johansson said. “I’ve got this, boys.”

To the side, Trotz held a clipboard, taking notes on the winners. He played as a child in Manitoba and could broom with the best of them, but like many of his players he let the sport fade with time as hockey became a full-time pursuit. But he likened the curling culture in western Canada to bowling or golf in the United States. No age restrictions, but perfect for an afternoon with the pals.

“It’s a good life sport up here,” he said.

As the rounds progressed, Trotz got creative with his matchups. Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin, linemates in Washington, were pitted against each other. So were Chimera and Joel Ward, whose tight partnership led everyone to call them “the twins.”

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Before long, true contenders emerged. Backstrom’s squad topped Ovechkin’s — “Backie’s going to the Olympics,” forward Michael Latta cheered, while Ovechkin ripped his jeans at one point — and defenseman Karl Alzner’s team whooped Jay Beagle’s team, 7-0.

Because Trotz calculated standings by aggregate point total, Alzner and his fellow purple-hatted curlers enjoyed a sizable advantage, the talk of the afternoon.

“Ahead by a country mile,” head equipment manager Brock Myles said.

Before he arrived in Washington this summer, Trotz first started taking his Nashville players to the Calgary Curling Club on their road trips here, and assistant Lane Lambert organized similar excursions to the local sheets near Milwaukee, where he coached Nashville’s American Hockey League affiliate.

“It’s an opportunity for us to do something non-hockey, and you get a good laugh out of it,” Trotz said. “Curling looks like it’s easy. For those who haven’t curled, it’s not that easy. It’s fun.”

The seven-point bludgeoning had left little doubt that Alzner’s team would emerge as champions, so the drama focused on second place, with a modest cash prize at stake between Team Backstrom and Team Chimera. They decided to settle on a tiebreaker. “Draw to the button,” Trotz yelled, meaning each team got one shot, and closest to the center of the concentric circles — ‘the house’ in curling parlance — would win.

Chimera went first but slid it too hard, and Backstrom came up short. The second round failed to produce a winner, too. So they moved to another sheet, and forward Chris Brown, a healthy scratch against Edmonton on Wednesday night, stepped to the hack — effectively a push-off block for the thrower. He let the stone slide.

“What are you guys doing?” Trotz shouted. “Sweep it!”

No need. Brown’s shot was perfect, with it coming second place. But the hardware went to Alzner, who last curled as a 12-year-old just outside of Vancouver and denied drawing on that experience for the championship.

“Probably going to have to go celebrate now,” he said. “Can’t drink out of the trophy.”