Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin has been doing the Russian media rounds since returning to his home country for the offseason. Ovi stopped by the studio of Russian soccer-based YouTube channel, It’s Football, Bro! for an over hour long conversation about a wide variety of topics this past Thursday.
Before having to name which five players he would pick to join him on a “symbolic all-time team”, Ovi was asked to pick which current NHL player’s jersey he would buy if forced to choose just one.
The Great Eight, who himself had the top-selling jersey in the NHL for the second consecutive season, wasted little time before giving his answer.
“Of course, [Connor] McDavid,” Ovechkin said.
Ovechkin has long been complimentary of McDavid, the current best hockey player on the planet. The 26-year-old superstar Edmonton Oilers is coming off a regular season that saw him take down the league’s Art Ross Trophy for most points (153) and the Rocket Richard Trophy for most goals (64). He became only the sixth-different skater in NHL history to have a 150-point season.
It was announced on Friday that McDavid is one of three finalists for the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP. If he were to win it, as he is likely to do, he would tie Ovechkin for the active-player lead in MVP trophy wins.
“He’s from a different planet,” Ovechkin said of McDavid at the 2023 All-Star Game. “How he plays the game. How he controls the puck. He controls his speed. He’s very fun to watch.
“It’s not one player and one year,” Ovi continued. “He’s consistently doing it. Every year. It’s cool to see. It’s great for us. It’s great for fans. It’s great for the kids.”
Ovechkin is a long-time collector of hockey memorabilia and has secured a signed stick for his son Sergei from McDavid in the past. It sure sounds like a McDavid jersey may soon find its way into his collection.
to #OviJr with love from @cmcdavid97 pic.twitter.com/mTmtJDmInk
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) February 5, 2022
McDavid is currently in a playoff run with the Edmonton Oilers as they seek to return to the Western Conference Finals for the second-straight season. On Friday night, the Vegas Golden Knights took down the Oilers in Game Five of their series to go up 3-2 and push the Oilers to the brink of elimination.
In the game, McDavid scored twice which gave him 71 total goals this season when you include both regular season and postseason scoring. That makes him the first player in the 21st century to hit 70-plus goals in an NHL season including playoffs.
The previous record was set by Ovechkin when he scored 69 total goals in the 2007-08 campaign.
Headline photo: Alan Dobbins/RMNB
Share On