One of the biggest mysteries of the season is now somewhat less of a mystery.
Alex Ovechkin is a hockey stick free agent, according to Tarik El-Bashir, meaning the Capitals’ captain is no longer exclusive to CCM. Ovechkin signed a deal with the hockey equipment maker in 2017 that appears to have ended before or sometime during the 2023-24 season.
El-Bashir reported the news while serving as an analyst for TNT’s telecast of the Washington Capitals’ matchup against the New Jersey Devils Wednesday night.
This is what El-Bashir had to say during the game:
Tarik El-Bashir: I did a little digging earlier and found out some more on Ovechkin’s stick situation. He’s been tinkering with different sticks all season, but it seems like the change he made a couple of games ago is making a big difference. He switched to a Bauer Vapor, and in the last two games, he has two goals. And actually, he has three because one got disallowed for a not-so-great goalie interference call. What’s the old saying about a good craftsman never blaming his tools? Well, maybe sometimes it is the tools, and Ovechkin is a free agent in terms of equipment suppliers.
Alex Faust: It seems unusual for someone with as much success as he has to try out different equipment.
Tarik El Bashir: Yeah, it really is but it’s that day and age where technology is so different, you find something you like or that a different player uses. You try it out in practice and it’s like, hell I may use this.
After starting his NHL career with CCM, Ovechkin signed a six-year deal with Bauer in September of 2011. Once that deal ended, Ovechkin returned to CCM in October of 2017.
During the 2023-24 season, Ovechkin has used both CCM and Bauer sticks. Against the Pittsburgh Penguins on January 2, Ovechkin prepared both a CCM Ribcor Trigger, his signature twig since signing with CCM, and a Bauer Vapor.
Ovechkin scored his 830th career goal later that night with the Bauer twig as well as his 829th against the Nashville Predators on December 30.
So far this season, Ovechkin has experimented with several makes and models, including trying out a Bauer Nexus Geo and a CCM Jetspeed during games.
The shake-ups in Ovechkin’s sticks come after CCM halted using Ovechkin in promotional materials in March 2022 due to Russia’s war with Ukraine.
“Although Mr. Ovechkin is not responsible for the Russian government’s actions, we took the decision to not use him (or any Russian player) on any global CCM communication at this point,” CCM Hockey chief executive Marrouane Nabih said in a statement then.
Ovechkin currently sits 64 goals behind Wayne Gretzky for first on the NHL’s all-time goals list. If Ovechkin were able to catch The Great One, the moment would live on forever as one of the important in NHL history. Which brand’s stick he may use, if he can reach that mark, is now to be determined.
Headline photo: Ian Oland/RMNB
