Gordie Howe, Wayne Gretzky, and now Alexander Ovechkin. The Russian superstar became the third player in NHL history to reach 800 NHL goals Tuesday, as the Capitals won against the Chicago Blackhawks, 7-3.
Ovechkin scored two goals with his first two shots of the game, and of course, he snagged the hat trick to reach the magical number. Now, he’s only one goal behind Gordie Howe for second of all-time and just 94 goals behind The Great One.
The celebrations for Ovechkin on the ice were magical as his teammates emptied the bench to congratulate him. The Chicago fans also joined in the celebration, throwing their hats onto the ice and chanting Ovechkin’s name.
He was also gratulated by Blackhawks’ Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews in an awesome gesture. And when Ovechkin entered the locker room, he was welcomed with a classic beer shower from his teammates.
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But Ovechkin also had time to make a kid’s day. As Ovechkin left the ice after the game, he walked by a young Caps fan, and instead of handing over his stick to the Capitals equipment manager, he handed it over to the kid.
The young boy was, of course, thrilled and couldn’t stop smiling as he held the stick given by one of the greatest players of all time. And on social media, everyone praised Ovechkin for his wonderful gesture.
”Seriously. How cool is that? You get Alex Ovechkin’s stick on the night he scored his 800th goal,” Tom Gulitti, writer for the NHL, on Twitter.
Some also point out that the stick might be worth a lot of money.
”Kid just became a millionaire,” one said.
”Ovi practically just handed him a solid gold bar right there,” said another.
”That kid better hold on to that stick it’s worth a lot of money now,” a third added.
Well done, Ovi, for making this kid’s day. Respect!
