Alex Ovechkin wasn’t about to let an opportunity for a free beer pass him by.
Wednesday, on Ovechkin’s 9-year wedding anniversary with his wife Nastya, he stopped by the bar The Clovelly on Moscow’s Sretenka Street and surprised a group of about 90 fans, part of The Green Mamba Club drinking society. The supporters, some wearing replica Capitals and Dynamo Moscow Ovechkin jerseys, had been gathering for the past seven weeks, placing a free lager on a table beside a sign that read “For Ovi.”
A wry-smiling Ovechkin appeared shortly after 6 pm that night, garnering screams and shocked faces as he approached.
Ovechkin said hi, shook hands, accepted and sipped the beer, signed some autographs, took a group photo, and then departed shortly after. Video of the moment went viral on social media.
According to the The Green Mamba Club, Nastya had encouraged her husband to stop by. The group compared the meeting of Ovechkin to planting a flag on Mt. Everest, which honestly seems like a fair metaphor. Via The Green Mamba Club Telegram and a translation by Google Translate:
Seven weeks of waiting! SEVEN WEEKS! And… and… and…???
OVI SHOWED UP!We are incredibly grateful—to the moon and back—to Alexander Mikhailovich for coming to see us, but we’re even more grateful to Ovi’s wife, Anastasia. On their wedding anniversary, she told him: “Go see the guys; they’re waiting for you.” Okay, maybe the quote was slightly different, but that’s how we remember it from the legend himself!
We waited for him every Wednesday, yet it still happened unexpectedly. At 6:06 PM, Zhora asked hesitantly, “Is he coming?!” The logical reply was, “Bulls**t.” Then, in the next few seconds, it was a whirlwind of chaos! Ninety voices screaming “OVI!!!” A few words, some autographs, a group photo, and just like that, he was waving goodbye and wishing us luck. The whole thing lasted about seven minutes. But those SEVEN weeks of waiting were absolutely worth those minutes. It all happened so fast that we didn’t even manage to get a photo of Mamba and Ovi together.
Thanks to everyone who supported us and came to wait alongside us. Props for the comments and tags! You guys rock! We won’t say who we’re waiting for next just yet, but right now, it feels like we’ve planted the Green Mamba flag on the summit of Everest.
P.S. So, are we meeting up again next Wednesday? 😄🍻
“Mamba,” according to a feature by Sports.ru’s Anton Rudnev, is the nickname for Ivan Zhadan, the founder of the blog “Green Mamba,” which is dedicated to beer and beer culture. The blog’s name is a Russian internet nickname for Igor Nikolaev, a beloved composer and singer whose unmistakable look has made him the subject of countless memes.
Zhadan got the idea for Ovechkin after sharing a drink with the legendary Nikolaev.
“I once waited for Igor Nikolaev to drink with him and I did,” Zhadan said per Sports.ru, when he first invited Ovechkin in May. “So I remembered how the power of the internet once helped me fulfill a dream. So maybe we can fulfill another one? A beer with someone who loves him as much as I do!”
Ovechkin’s viral beer swig on Wednesday comes after he’s becoming known for throwing back a can or two after games, especially after reaching personal milestones like his 894th goal, his record-breaking 895th goal, and his 900th career goal.
Ovechkin has said that the practice is not only fun, but also a practical way to relax and wind down after games. During a Russian interview in the summer of 2024, Ovechkin revealed that the Capitals have a beer fridge in their coach’s room.
“We just like to relax,” Ovechkin said. “After hockey, you are tired, a couple of glasses of wine or beer is normal… It relieves tension.”
@br_openice Just broke a 31 year standing all-time goals record… time for a well deserved locker room soda 😅 #Gr8Chase #fyp #hockeytiktoks #hockey #nhl #hockeyplayer #washingtoncapitals #ovechkin
