The entire city of Washington, D.C. has been steeped in another historic sports moment. Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin scored his 895th career goal on Sunday, passing Wayne Gretzky for the most in NHL history.
While the momentous occasion physically occurred at UBS Arena in Belmont, New York, fans back in the district still got to celebrate per MASN’s Bobby Blanco. The Washington Nationals re-played Ovechkin’s monumental achievement on the jumbotron at Nationals Park during the team’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday.
Fans could be heard roaring and applauding the moment they had all been waiting for since Ovechkin came within reach of Gretzky’s once-thought unbreakable record. Chants of “Ovi! Ovi! Ovi!” broke out across the ballpark as spectators seemed to forget they were attending a baseball game and not at Capital One Arena a little over two miles away.
The Nationals, who have had a publicly close relationship with the Capitals over the last decade, posted a congratulatory message on X.
“EIGHT TO INFINITY,” the caption reads. “Gr8ness. Congratulations, Ovi,” is written on the graphic depicting three Ovechkins in various poses.
Players from the local MLB and NHL franchises have historically been known to celebrate each other’s achievements. The Nationals hosted the Caps at a game three days after the team won the 2018 Stanley Cup, with Ovechkin throwing out the first pitch and the team continuing its epic championship bender from the suites.
A year and a half later, the Caps returned the favor by hosting the Nats at Capital One Arena to celebrate their 2019 World Series title. Multiple players like Adam Eaton, Max Scherzer and Sean Doolittle famously rode the Zambonis shirtless during intermission and also celebrated hard from their box seats.
Sunday’s moment at Nationals Park was just the latest example of the interweaved fandom shared by Washingtonians and DMV’ers alike.
