Alex Ovechkin was unable to attend the 2022 All-Star Game due to COVID protocol. Fellow countryman Kirill Kaprizov made sure The Great 8 was not forgotten during the All-Star Skills Competition.
Kaprizov, the Minnesota Wild’s leading scorer, put on an Ovechkin jersey during his Breakaway Challenge attempt and did Ovi’s patented Hot Stick celebration after scoring.
Loved Kaprizov doing the "stick on fire" celebration in his tribute to Ovechkin tonight pic.twitter.com/fYNLbbQ1H7
— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) February 5, 2022
Kaprizov went all out in his tribute. The Russian star appears to have worn Ovechkin’s prepared jersey for the Skills Competition and rocked yellow skates laces. The VGK game-entertainment crew played Ovi’s goal song during his attempt.
Kirill’s Ode to Ovi#mnwild | 👊 @ovi8 pic.twitter.com/TEMFLPF1v6
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) February 5, 2022
The left-handed shooting Kaprizov also used a right-handed stick and taped it like Ovechkin, getting help from Evgeny Kuznetsov per the Washington Post’s Samantha Pell.
Kaprizov also mimicked Ovechkin’s Gatorade bottle routine.
y’all mind if we take him home with us, @mnwild? pic.twitter.com/2ojRgnGdCX
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) February 5, 2022
Ovechkin, watching from his Northern Virginia home, noticed, tweeting “Not bad!!!”
Not bad!!! :))))) https://t.co/QjP5g3SFaf
— Alex Ovechkin (@ovi8) February 5, 2022
“I didn’t even see what the judges give me,” Kaprizov said afterward through a translator. “I don’t think all of them realized I wasn’t using my own stick with that.”
Oh Kirill 🤣#mnwild | #NHLAllStar pic.twitter.com/wHCKJRnkwU
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) February 5, 2022
Earlier in the day, Kaprizov also revealed that he named his cat after Evgeny Kuznetsov.
Kirill is as big a fan of Alex Ovechkin as we are.
Screenshot: @mnwild/Twitter
