Alex Ovechkin is a creature of habit, and over the last few seasons, he’s been spotted around the rink frequently wearing an Well I’m not Michael Jordan hoodie.
Previous wisdom assumed the hoodie was just a nod to Ovechkin’s favorite superstar athlete growing up, but there is actually a deeper meaning behind it that involves 2018 Stanley Cup champion Devante Smith-Pelly.
Ovi explains his "Well I'm not Michael Jordan" hoodie and gives us an update on his son Sergei's hockey skills 🔥 pic.twitter.com/8rwiuNyjTQ
— NHLonTNT (@NHL_On_TNT) October 25, 2023
Jackie Redmond got Ovechkin to spill the beans in an interview before the Capitals’ nationally televised game against the New Jersey Devils on TNT.
“We play soccer all the time before the game like in warmup,” Ovechkin told her. “It was a, I think, five years ago, Devo or somebody hit the ball too high and I can’t jump so I said like ‘Well, I’m not Michael Jordan,’ you know?”
Ovi then shrugged his shoulders.
“Devo gave it to me, this hoodie, and I’m still wearing it,” he concluded.
So the hoodie is a gift from DSP. Amazing, right?
The soccer Ovechkin is referring to is the team’s pregame sewerball game where players form in a circle and kick a ball around to each other. The goal is to not let the soccerball hit the ground. It it does, that player is considered out.
The hoodie just one of a number of tributes Ovechkin subtly makes with his fashion for games. The Capitals captain has worn the same rundown chest pads for most of his career that includes the logo of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl near his heart. The patch is a tribute to the KHL team that perished in a plane crash in 2011. Ovechkin also has his late brother Sergei’s name stitched onto his gloves and his kisses it after every goal he scores.
