Alex Ovechkin turned 36-years-old on Friday.

The legendary goal-scorer has been receiving tributes from across the globe today including his wife Nastya, the Capitals, KHL Dynamo Moscow, and this here hockey blog. It’s basically like a national hockey holiday.

Here’s what you might have missed.

Nastya Ovechkina

“Happy birthday, our beloved @aleksandrovechkinofficial 💙,” Nastya wrote on Instagram. She posted multiple personal family photos.

Ted Leonsis

The Capitals’ owner, who is notoriously fond of The Great 8 and basically sees Ovi as his second son, posted on Twitter that, “Time flies when we are having fun! 36 is the new 26.”

Happy Birthday @ovi8! Time flies when we are having fun! 36 is the new 26. #ALLCAPS #Gr8 https://t.co/LzHAnCBGV6

— Ted Leonsis (@TedLeonsis) September 17, 2021

Washington Capitals

The Capitals posted two tributes: one serious and one the dumb meme route, as is apparently their brand now.

Hershey Bears

The Hershey Bears published photos of Ovi competing against the AHL team in a preseason game. I did not remember this happening!

NHL

The NHL took the opportunity to remind us just how dang good Alexander Ovechkin is as a hockey player. Spoiler alert: HE’S REALLY GOOD.

Moscow Dynamo

Moscow Dynamo, Ovechkin’s Russian hockey team who he serves as an advisor to, wrote some kind words in his native Russian.

“We wish this guy to take Olympic gold, break Gretzky’s record and put on a sweater with the letter ‘D’ again 🔥,” Dynamo wrote. “The pupil of the Moscow Dynamo and the best Russian hockey player of our time, Alexander Ovechkin, turns 36!”

KHL

The KHL kept it simple with a cute photo of Ovi with his son.

Happy birthday, @ovi8 🥳 pic.twitter.com/peTGBbqzAW

— KHL (@khl_eng) September 17, 2021

(Did you know that Ovi is not only a Stanley Cup champion but a Gagarin Cup champion, too? Dynamo won it all during the 2012-13 season when both Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom played for the team during the lockout.)

Russian National Team

The Russian Hockey Federation posted a special message for Ovi.

“Alexander Ovechkin – 3️⃣6️⃣,” they wrote. “Happy birthday to the legendary striker, three-time world champion (2008, 2012, 2014), Stanley Cup winner. We wish you new challenges and, of course, new victories! #russiainmyheart #hockey #hockeyrussia”

RMNB

Finally, I wrote this from the heart on the RMNB IG and included a bunch of photos I either took or were a part of.

If the message gets cut off on mobile, it reads:

@aleksandrovechkinofficial, a lot of people have extended you well wishes for your birthday. But to us, the best way to celebrate today is to share our experience. You are a normal, fun-loving, enthusiastic, and dedicated person who just also so happens to be good at the game of hockey. TBH, this is your greatest accomplishment. Despite the fame, fortune, and attention, you are you – without ego or pompousness. You have two beautiful sons and a kind wife @nastyashubskaya, who supports you. But you’ve built more than a wonderful family: you helped bring the first Stanley Cup championship team to this area and helped create one of the biggest hockeytowns in the United States (it was not even remotely like this before). You’ve made so many of our followers fall in love with hockey. You’ve captured the imagination of so many people. You’ve pushed the boundaries of what is possible in hockey, benefitting players in future generations. And you’ve done it all with that big gap-toothed smile.

As for us, you’ve been kind. You scored a hat trick on our blog’s birthday and wished US a happy birthday afterward. You’ve rocked our Not Be Suck shirt. You’ve taken our camera and taken photos of us, making us feel like the big deal, which we totally are not. You’ve given our followers shoutouts. You’ve done all of this even though, let’s be honest, RMNB can be annoying and hyper critical sometimes.

Now, over the next five years, we get to watch you break Gretzky’s record (you’re going to do it, don’t tell us different), maybe bring some more championships to DC, and retire as a Capital. The pleasure watching you play has been all ours. We, as fans, we’ll never completely be able to pay you back for the impact you’ve had on this area. But maybe these words are a start. Happy birthday, Big Guy.

Happy Birthday, Ovi!

Headline photo: Ian Oland/RMNB