Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin and Wayne Gretzky had their first joint interview on Monday evening. Here are highlights from what they said.
Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin is on a mission to pursue Wayne Gretzky’s “unbreakable” record of 894 goals. The pause in the season puts the chase towards that record on hold but thankfully we got a taste of greatness Monday when the two sat down for an interview.
What we got out of the interview is the two seem to be big fans of each other and the way they admire their game. It’s great for the sport of hockey to see one of the greatest players recognize the game of someone who’s the biggest face of the sport today.
What struck Gretzky the first time he met Ovechkin back in 2016 in California for a dinner was Ovechkin’s desire to win a Stanley Cup and bring a title to D.C. He cared about winning more than individual stuff.
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“I had the great fortune of being a coach when he scored one of the greatest goals of hockey we’ve ever seen. I had the best seat in the house behind the bench when he went through our whole team, went on his back and scored a wonderful goal… The thing I found so fascinating about Alex (the night we had dinner in California) wasn’t so much about individualism, scoring goals, how to be a better player. The whole night was questions about what I need to do as captain to help get our team over the hump to help win the Stanley Cup for the Capitals and the city of Washington… The only thing on his mind was bringing a Stanley Cup to the city of Washington,” said Gretzky.
“I knew then and there leaving the restaurant that one day he was going to lift the Stanley Cup.”
The pair also talked about how Ovechkin received a game-used stick from Gretzky after he led the Caps to the Stanley Cup.
“Finally I get the stick and I was happy like a little kid to have a Christmas gift,” recalled Ovechkin.
Ovechkin has collected about 100 sticks but Gretzky’s is his most prized. He couldn’t find #808 but he did get stick #807.
The 45-minute long interview is certainly a must watch between two of the greatest to ever play the game. You can catch a replay of the interview below.
Ovechkin and Gretzky will go head to head in NHL 20 on Wednesday night at 8 p.m. on the Capitals Twitch channel.