Colorado Avalanche forward AJ Greer had a familiar idol growing up: the Quebec native was a fan of Moscow native Alex Ovechkin. But “fan” may not be the right word.
Lauren Gardner, sideline reporter and host with Altitude Sports, said that calling Greer a fan “would be a colossal understatement.”
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Greer’s “entire room growing up was all Ovi stuff,” Gardner said. “Whether it’s jerseys or memorabilia. He actually had two of his older brothers drive two hours from their hometown just to get a shirt signed.”
Gardner asked Greer if he was going to ask Ovechkin for a stick or a signature while the Avalanche were in DC. “He hesitated, said he was a little embarrassed, but we encouraged him,” Gardner said. “He has to, right?”
One of the Avalanche commentators said that 22-year-old, 2015 second round pick “absolutely” has to ask. “Players always do that with each other.”
Miles Wood of the New Jersey Devils wrote a fan letter to Ovechkin as a kid but didn’t get a reply until the two met in the NHL. Ovechkin greeted Wood after the game, gave him a signed picture, and took photos with him while wearing only a bathtowel. (Wood moved past the hero worship pretty quickly and tried to fight Ovechkin in October.)
Despite having been called up four times so far this season, Greer is still the leading scorer for the Colorado Eagles, although he has yet to register his first NHL point yet.
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