When the NHL entered a lockout during the 2012-13 regular season, Alex Ovechkin returned to Moscow to play in the KHL for his hometown team, Dynamo. After some gentle persuasion, Nicklas Backstrom also joined him there.
“Ovechkin’s been calling since he came to Moscow,” Backstrom told SVT Sport at the time. “It’ll be fun.”
On Saturday, Ovechkin returned to Dynamo Moscow’s headquarters in Novogorsk as part of his day with the Stanley Cup. While there, Ovi lifted the Cup with his father, Mikhail, for the first time. However, he also made another important stop to lift the Cup.
Ovechkin stops by Nicklas Backstrom’s photo and jersey in the Dynamo museum. pic.twitter.com/QyBg8XaVHs
— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) July 7, 2018
As part of the Dynamo museum, they have several jerseys and framed photographs of past players. Nicklas Backstrom is one of those players honored. Ovechkin stopped by Backstrom’s locker in the museum to lift the Cup.
In which Ovechkin holds the Cup next to Backstrom’s Dynamo photo pic.twitter.com/rksYMoNvu3
— Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) July 7, 2018
“Next to Backstrom?” the Washington Post’s Isabelle Khurshudyan asked, while Ovechkin grinned. “Backy, yeah,” he replied, still smiling, before lowering the Cup.
Familiar face in the Dynamo Hockey Hall of Fame @backstrom19 #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/Tp8bTowMR8
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) July 7, 2018
Later, according to Khurshudyan, on the bus ride back into the city after the Dynamo visit, Ovechkin looked at a photograph of Backstrom in his Dynamo jersey on his phone. He chucked and said, “Dynamo legend.”
Backstrom wore the numbers 99 and 69 during his time with the KHL team.
Headline photo: @TomGulittiNHL
