Ralph Macchio loves seeing Capitals use Cobra Kai headbands originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette watched a lot of television in the early days of quarantine, and the show he came away most impressed with was Cobra Kai. So it's no surprise he used that fandom to create a new Capitals tradition after their first win earlier this season.
That caught the attention of the creators of the show, including star Ralph Macchio, who happens to be a big time hockey fan.
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Macchio, the Karate Kid himself, spoke with NBC Sports Washington ahead of the Capitals' matchup with Macchio's favorite team, the New York Islanders. And he continues to be a big fan of seeing the Caps rock headbands from the show.
"It was great, it was awesome. We were all sending messages, the showrunners, the guys who create the show, and we have a couple writers on the show that are big time hockey fans, and I lit up," Macchio said in an interview. "It’s exciting to see this show bridge all areas, and I’ve been a hockey fan my whole life...It was super exciting."
The actor wasn't just thrilled to see his show getting represented, but he also appreciated the way the Capitals went about it.
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"The whole concept of the defensive player getting a Cobra Kai headband and the offensive player vice versa, that was cool for me to see. When Laviolette handed out the first headband, I’m like 'OK, Miyagi-Do is not gonna get any love here.' And then all of a sudden he makes the move and we get the Miyagi headband and it was just a perfect storm," Macchio said. "So I was very excited, as we all are. It was awesome."
Macchio has been in a number of high-profile movies and television shows over the last few decades, but The Karate Kid has permeated through pop culture in a major way. And now, Cobra Kai is helping fans all over the world revisit the classic.
For him, it's been a blessing and a curse. But mostly a blessing.
"As I get older, and like to say wiser, I embrace the fact that I’ve been lucky enough to be the guy that has kind of been the face of that franchise, in the Karate Kid films and now into Cobra Kai. It’s kind of the gift that keeps on giving, it affects lives in such a positive way, so that’s how I look at it. 10, 15 years ago? I might have said [he wished people remembered his other work too]," Macchio said when asked about always getting recognized for the same role. "Listen, if you could be connected to something that has reached globally and had that much of a positive impact...I think that’s a good thing. Do I throw out My Cousin Vinny and The Outsiders and a couple other things in the same sentence? Sure. I just did that didn’t I?"
Tune in to NBC Sports Washington at 6 p.m. on Tuesday for coverage of Capitals vs. Islanders.
