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Watch: Alex Ovechkin shares an adorable pregame moment with his son Sergei at friendly game in Russia
Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin played in a friendly game in Russia. The game was part of his "Ovi Cup" tournament. Ovechkin took the ice alongside his son Sergei and other NHL stars like Evgeni Malkin and Kirill Kaprizov. They played against Ilya Kovalchuk and a team of KHL stars.
In a video shared on X by 'Hockey News Hub', Sergei was seen accompanying his father in the pregame stretch.
The game ended in a 6-6 tie, but the highlight was Sergei’s performance. Sergei, wearing his dad’s number eight and yellow-laced skates, scored a goal on a breakaway.
Ovechkin was proud of his son's progress and mentioned that Sergei practices six times a week with his team and individually. He also mentioned that he has improved a little this year.
“I don’t want to force them,” Ovechkin said (translated from sports.ru) “Sergei loves hockey, he just adores it. Ilya has just started playing hockey. We’ll see what happens."
The "Ovi Cup" is an annual youth tournament in Moscow. Ovechkin is also planning to open the Alexander Ovechkin Academy in 2026. He hopes to make it the best academy for young players. The goal is to help kids reach the KHL or the NHL.
Ovechkin, 38, is entering his 20th NHL season. He is just 42 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky's all-time NHL goals record. Ovechkin is expected to return to Washington, D.C., for the Capitals' training camp in September.
Alex Ovechkin weighed in on Capitals' offseason moves at Ovi Cup
The Washington Capitals made big changes after a tough season. They traded for Pierre-Luc Dubois, Jakob Chychrun, and Logan Thompson. They also signed Andrew Mangiapane, Taylor Raddysh, Brandon Duhaime, and Matt Roy.
Alex Ovechkin praised the younger players from Hershey who gained valuable experience.
“There have been changes in the team, and their best side is the young players who played in Hershey and got that playing experience that is hard to come by,” Ovechkin said, (translated via R-Sport)
"As for my desire to win another Stanley Cup, we’ll see. We’ll do everything we can to make it happen."
The new players will help fill key gaps and take some pressure off Alex Ovechkin, who will turn 39 years old on September 17.
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