Alex Ovechkin may be one of the greatest players in NHL history, but he remains a humble man, not too good or too important to perform the smaller tasks at a hockey game.
For instance, during the “Match of the Year” exhibition in Russia on Sunday, Ovechkin was busy. Not only did he accept a new car during a pregame ceremony and score a goal in the Russian NHL players’ 15-3 win over KHL stars, but he also was an MVP marketer.
Throwing on his metaphorical “game-entertainment hat,” a gleeful Ovechkin worked a t-shirt gun during the first intermission, sending freebies over the glass using a giant air-powered howitzer. The video was posted by Ovechkin’s friend Gus, who attended the game.
“Pew! Pew! Pew!” my son Ethan said while giggling at the video.
Ovechkin joins a small list of hockey players who have rocked a t-shirt gun, including Artemi Panarin and Tyler Seguin.
The friendly on Sunday marked Ovechkin’s first hockey game since the Washington Capitals were eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in May. Ovechkin vacationed most of June and part of July before returning last week to begin training for his 21st NHL season and the summer all-star game.
The sold-out event raised 30 million rubles ($385k) for children with disabilities. Apparently, the only thing he didn’t do was drive the Zamboni during the game.
