The Utah Mammoth‘s season ended on May 1, when the Vegas Golden Knights defeated them 5-1 in Game 6 of their first-round series, eliminating them from the playoffs.
A week later, as Mammoth defenseman Mikhail Sergachev reflected on his 2025-26 campaign, he posted a moment he had with Alex Ovechkin to his Instagram Story.
The two Russian stars swapped jerseys after the Washington Capitals‘ March 26, 2026, game at Delta Center, where Ovechkin notched the 34th hat trick of his career.
Ovechkin included an inscription on the jersey he gave to Sergachev. It appears to read in parts English and Russian: To Misha, from Ovi. On the other side, it’s hard to make out, but it may say, “всех благ” (“all the best”) and “удачи” (“good luck”).
The two have long been friends, with Ovechkin immediately accepting an invite to play in the “Game of the Year” exhibition in Russia after Sergachev called him.
Sergachev has praised him in interviews during the past, calling Ovechkin, via Sport-Express and a translation from Google Translate, “Honest. Responsive. Any of the guys can send him a message – he’ll always answer, chat. A great guy, a captain, and a leader. For some, a mentor. He’s different for everyone, but for everyone, he remains a simple, normal person.”
Last summer, Sergachev also said to Match TV of Ovechkin breaking the NHL goals record, “The whole team wanted him to break [it].”
During the 2025-26 season, Ovechkin swapped jerseys with Calgary Flames captain Mikael Backlund, Los Angeles Kings forward Anze Kopitar, Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin, Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk, Florida Panthers forward Brad Marchand, and Team Canada superstar Marie-Philip Poulin.
He also acquired two signed sticks from the Hughes brothers, Jack and Luke, after a Capitals-Devils game on March 20, and NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti added he got a jersey from Devils captain Nico Hischier.
Ovechkin has been collecting the memorabilia for a hockey museum he hopes to open in his hometown of Moscow, Russia, in 2027.
“For my kids, for myself, just for the memories,” Ovechkin said. “I wanted to just to do it with the captains. Soccer players do it, and I think it’s a good thing.”
