Wednesday night, Alex Ovechkin scored his 1,000th point in front of his hometown fans. Ovechkin’s wife Nastya was also in attendance as well as the Russian machine’s parents, Mikhail and Tatyana.
Unlike Ovechkin’s 500th goal celebration, Ovi’s family was not featured in NBCSN’s national telecast of the game. The Ovechkins did however talk to Sovetsky Sport’s Pavel Lysenkov.
“We just returned home from the game,” Mikhail Ovechkin said to Lysenkov as translated by Igor Kleyner. “Of course we are very happy. What a day! We are proud of our son. As a father, I am very pleased. Put it right on the front page of Sovetsky Sport. But now I want to pass the phone to Tatyana. Let her talk about Sasha, she is better at that than I am.”
“It’s a great day,” responded Tatyana Ovechkina. “This is real happiness. It took Sasha only 35 seconds to score his goal. He didn’t want anybody to wait for too long for this point. He had a chance, and he took it. A timely shot, he caught the goalie. Turned out to be a pretty goal.”
What did this 1000th point mean for you? Only four Russians have ever reached this level – aside from Ovechkin, Kovalev, Mogilny and Fedorov.
Tatyana Ovechkina: I am not thinking a whole lot about Kovalev and Fedorov scoring. I am more interested in my son. I am glad he got his 1000th point and accomplished this minimum task.
And what is the maximum?
Tatyana Ovechkina: The Stanley Cup, of course. You know that. I am happy for our other guys who played so well in the NHL, Fedorov and the rest. But I am even happier for my son.
Did Sasha get his golden stick? That’s what they normally give for 1000 points.
Tatyana Ovechkina: They probably will. Not today, there was no time to make it. But I am sure there will be a ceremony – we’ll wait.
Ovechkin has scored 21 goals so far, but Sidney Crosby is in the lead with 26. Do you think he can catch Pittsburgh captain and win the 7th Maurice Richard Trophy?
Tatyana Ovechkina: Why are so hung up on counting these points? Who scored how many. Sasha will score his share. The most important thing is to play. And not do all this bookkeeping. He never chases his personal stats. If the team is winning, then everything is fine.
Tell us how Alexander practiced his shot as a kid – from the left circle, where he probably got about 300 of his goals. That’s where his second goal came from today as well.
Tatyana Ovechkina: When he was little, we went to his grandpa’s dacha. Papa Misha and him would always put a sheet of particle board on the ground, and he would shoot from it. He knocked down all the fencing. Whenever I came to dacha, he is there, shooting, and shooting. He also worked on his wrists to make the shot better. Did special exercises. He worked hard on it.
When he scored his 1000th point today, he said “I remember my first NHL point. Feels like it was yesterday…”
Tatyana Ovechkina: Time flies. You blink, and 10 years go by. It’s shocking. It seems as if he just came to the NHL yesterday. You don’t even notice how all these years went by.
What would you like to say to the Russian hockey fans at this time?
Tatyana Ovechkina: We’d like to congratulate all who support Sasha, stay up all night to watch the gmes. It’s a good game, and a good result. My son plays for you, because hockey is for the fans.
Now Ovechkin is the headline news on every website, the face on every newspaper front page tomorrow.
Tatyana Ovechkina: Please don’t focus your attention on that. He scored, and forgot about it. You know, I really don’t like all this fuss, don’t give interviews often. Let Sasha play, and that’s it. Nothing else.
Ovechkin’s wife Nastya sat with Ovechkin’s older brother Mikhail in the stands.
She posted video of her view of the goal on Instagram.
“I don’t know how, but I had a feeling about 8 seconds before my husband scored,” Nastya wrote as translated by Graham Dumas. “I even had a chance to get on video the goal that brought him his 1000th point. Congratulations, darling! I’m so proud of you! I think you’re the best! The best at everything!”
Read more: Alex Ovechkin’s 1,000th point (Video)
The Capitals tribute video for Alex Ovechkin
Wes Johnson’s call of point number 1,000
Why the Penguins didn’t salute Alex Ovechkin after his 1,000th point
Alex Ovechkin poses with the milestone puck
Brooks Laich and John Erskine congratulate Ovechkin on milestone
Sergei Fedorov congratulates Alex Ovechkin on joining the 1000-point club
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