Alex Ovechkin is officially over the hill!
The age-defying legend turned 40-years-old on Wednesday. Despite starting his fifth decade of life, Ovechkin remains one of the most feared goal-scorers on the planet as he enters his 21st season in the NHL — his last *currently* under contract with the Washington Capitals.
Ovechkin started the day with a surprise from his wife, Nastya, and his two young sons, Sergei and Ilya: balloons.
Ovechkin then left for MedStar Capitals Iceplex for Training Camp where Caps players checked in with medical and did testing off the ice. The team also held their internal media day where they took photos, video, and did various things for social media.
Undoubtedly, the most silly video Ovechkin shot was this selfie mode clip of him saying “Well I’ve got my chicken parm” and then extending the last word, “babe,” for a solid 20 seconds.
Once home, Ovechkin had a meal with his family and friends — though across continents. Using what appears to be Zoom, Ovechkin called in from DC while his other loved ones, including his mother Tatyana Ovechkina, had a birthday dinner honoring him in Russia. There was a large cake along with singing and dancing.
Online, Ovechkin got birthday wishes from far and wide, including the Capitals, NHL, and Dynamo Moscow.
Ovechkin typically has a big birthday dinner with other teammates in DC, but with the first day of on-ice training yawning on Thursday — including the Capitals’ final allowed skate tests under the NHL CBA — he appears to have kept things low key.
