Alex Ovechkin has left plenty of opponents stranded during his NHL career. One time, his own Washington Capitals teammates left him on the side of a highway with all his gear. Well, at least that’s how Lars Eller remembers it.
While speaking to Sport-Express’s Igor Rabiner in April 2025, Eller was asked about Ovechkin’s best joke. Instead, Eller recalled a story about the Capitals throwing Ovechkin out of the team’s transportation while the Russian superstar was trying to leave for the holiday break. Dmitry Orlov, who was also there, provided the fuller — and considerably less ruthless — version of what happened.
“One time he was supposed to go on vacation,” Eller said to Sport-Express, per a translation by Google Translate. “So we threw him out of the car right on the highway. He was walking along the side of the highway with all his bags. [Eller laughs.] We had a lot of stories like that.”
When Rabiner asked Orlov about his version of events days later, he gave a much fuller story.
“Something like that happened. But it wasn’t so harsh that they just dropped [him] off,” Orlov clarified. “I think they canceled our away game against Philadelphia because of COVID; someone got sick. If I’m not mistaken, we were traveling by bus from Philadelphia to Washington, and since we were flying out of Washington Airport, our cars were there. They dropped Sasha off on the highway so a friend could pick him up. It was just more convenient that way!”
According to Orlov’s version of events, Ovi’s jaunt side of the highway would have happened on Tuesday, December 21, 2021, when the Capitals were supposed to play the Flyers at Wells Fargo Center during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hours before puck drop, the NHL postponed the game due to COVID-19 issues affecting the Capitals. Daniel Sprong and Justin Schultz were pulled from morning skate after their test results came back. The Capitals were already without Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and TJ Oshie, who did not travel with the team to Pennsylvania.
After the game was axed, the Capitals then received a COVID-extended holiday break as their December 27 game against Ottawa was later postponed as well. That left Washington with a 10-day layoff between games, from December 19 against the Los Angeles Kings to December 29 against the Nashville Predators.
Ovechkin’s vacation ultimately ended up being a flight down to Southeast Florida to spend Christmas with his family at the beach.
The ridiculous story was just one of many humorous moments the players had with Ovechkin, who would go on to break the NHL’s goals record years later. Eller and Orlov agreed that not only can Ovechkin laugh at other teammates, but himself as well.
“It’s a tough season, with ups and downs, and stress,” Orlov said. “You have to find stories and jokes to relax and take your mind off these problems.”
“He’s very honest with himself,” Eller said. “He’s someone who spreads a positive vibe around him. He loves to joke, laughing at others and at himself. It’s always a pleasure to be around him. I’ve always said that Ovi never had a bad day in his life. At least, that’s the impression he gives.”
Orlov credited Ovechkin’s unique personality to his parents’ upbringing.
“He’s quite open, but for some he might be reserved,” Orlov said. “The main thing is that he’s very self-confident. He’s a person and an athlete who knows how to achieve the goals he sets for himself. He’s a good friend, always willing to help his family and friends.”
