ARLINGTON, VA — The Capitals held a sparsely-attended optional skate on Sunday, but they welcomed a new player to the squad. Sergei Ovechkin joined the team on the ice, practicing his shot against 2022 Stanley Cup winner Darcy Kuemper.
In a move reminiscent of Alex Ovechkin’s most memorable goal, Ovi Jr. netted a backhanded tally while falling down. After Kuemper thwarted his initial shot with a stick save, the five-year-old forward retrieved the puck on the other end of the crease and batted it in while falling to his knees, eliciting a round of cheers from Capitals fans in attendance.
He hasn’t quite mastered the 360-spin his father managed in Phoenix, but he’ll have plenty of time to work on it before he’s draft-eligible in 2036.
Despite several sprawling saves from Kuemper, Ovi Jr’s scoring prowess was nothing to sneeze at.
Baby Oviiii!!! @rmnb pic.twitter.com/tLE9HlcgYP
— Rashelle (kelly’s version) (@rashelle_wilcox) April 14, 2024
Both Aliaksei Protas and Ivan Miroshnichenko also dropped in on the impromptu session before leaving the ice.
Ovi Sr. has seen an impressive resurgence in the second half of the 2023-24 season: after scoring just nine goals the first 44 games of the campaign, he has notched 21 goals in 32 games since returning from the All-Star break, hitting the 30-goal mark for the 18th time in his career.
If Sunday’s showing was any indication, the Camel Effect has rubbed off on Ovi Jr., too.
