Wednesday afternoon, Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin officially signed with hockey equipment maker CCM. The deal, which CCM termed a “long term global partnership,” will see The Great 8 exclusively play and train in CCM equipment.

“I started my career with the company and I am excited to be back with CCM! We are going to work together to help me be the best player I can be,” Ovechkin said. “I am excited to work with everybody in North America and back home in Russia to grow the business for CCM and help more kids play hockey.”

Ovechkin played in CCM hockey gear from his rookie year in 2005 until 2011.

Ovechkin joins a CCM roster that includes some of the best and most popular hockey players in the game including Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Carey Price, John Tavares, and Brent Burns.

“CCM is absolutely thrilled to welcome Alex back to the family,” said Sean Williams, Vice President, Global Marketing and North American Sales, CCM Hockey. “He is one of the most talented athletes in our game and we look forward to working with him as he continues a dominant career on the ice.”

Ovechkin’s popularity in Russia was another consideration for CCM. The market for hockey equipment in Ovechkin’s home country is a huge opportunity, and Ovi, as one of faces of its brand, should help the company gain popularity with Russian hockey players. CCM’s Russian distributor, SPORTCONCEPT, was also named in the company’s press release.

Welcome home, @Ovi8!

Incredibly proud to announce that Ovi has rejoined the CCM Hockey family! #MadeOfHockey pic.twitter.com/fYQLvmgwsv

— CCM Hockey (@CCMHockey) October 11, 2017

More from CCM:

NHL ICON AND CAPITALS CAPTAIN, ALEX OVECHKIN, RETURNS TO CCM HOCKEY

CCM Hockey Welcomes Ovechkin “Back Home” In Long Term Global Partnership

Montreal, QC (Oct. 10, 2017) – Today, CCM Hockey and its Russian distributor, SPORTCONCEPT, announced that legendary NHL player, Alex Ovechkin, has decided to exclusively play and train in CCM hockey equipment. Ovechkin rejoins an impressive roster of CCM athletes including Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Carey Price, John Tavares, Brent Burns and Patrice Bergeron, to name a few.

A Russian native, Ovechkin was selected first overall to the Washington Capitals in 2004, making his NHL debut during the 2005-2006 season. Ovechkin is a three-time Hart Memorial Trophy winner, a three-time Ted Lindsay Award winner and six-time winner of the Richard Trophy among several accolades he has collected over the years. On January 11, 2017, he became the 84th player in history to score 1,000 NHL points and the 37th to do so with one franchise.

As the 2017-18 season began, Ovechkin became the first NHL player in 100 years to score a hat trick in the first two games to start the season. He scored a hat trick in seven minutes of the third period during Thursday’s season opener in Ottawa against the Senators and scored four goals including three in the first period of the home opener at Capital One Arena against the Canadiens. He now has a total of nineteen career hat tricks and is currently 22nd in NHL career goals.

As part of the partnership, Ovechkin will play a key role in providing valuable feedback and insight to CCM that will help the leading manufacturer continue to push the boundaries of technology and innovation in its products. As a CCM-affiliated athlete, Ovechkin will play and train in CCM hockey equipment, participate in the brand’s many community-based initiatives and be featured in product marketing campaigns throughout the year in North America and Russia.