As Alex Ovechkin’s NHL tenure draws to a close, he is accumulating an impressive hoard of memorabilia.
Dylan Strome, who often centered a line with Ovechkin in recent seasons, revealed details in early January on the Pardon My Take podcast about what the Washington captain keeps after scoring goals.
“Almost after every Ovi goal—the last hundred or so, perhaps, or maybe starting around goal 800—he asks the player who got the assist to sign the back of the game jersey Alex wore on the ice,” Strome commented. “Have you heard about the Ovechkin museum they plan to open in Russia? Every time Alex scores, he keeps the stick, the puck, the jersey. During this period, Ovi even preserved things like his socks—the exact ones he played the game in. He’s going to have a museum. For now, it sounds like a legendary tale everyone talks about. I don’t know if it will be connected to his hockey school. But from what I understand, they are planning to house the museum on the second floor. It’s supposed to look very stunning.”
Should the museum indeed be situated at the base of Ovechkin’s hockey academy, the exhibition would be located in the legend’s hometown—Moscow. Information on the academy’s website indicates the project encompasses two ice rinks, facilities for hosting tournaments, and dining areas.
“The realization of the Academy concept will be built upon a complete and multifunctional sports ecosystem. It will integrate training, competitive, sports and wellness, and medical-rehabilitation functions,” the website states. “The Academy is set to become one of the focal points on the Moscow map.”
During the last offseason, Ovechkin brought the stick he used to score his 895th regular-season goal, along with the record-breaking puck, back to Russia.
The Russian goal-scorer isn’t just preserving his own artifacts during his record chase; throughout his career, he has also built a collection of opponents’ sticks and jerseys. This season alone, he has swapped sweaters with NHL stars such as Evgeni Malkin, Brady Tkachuk, and Brad Marchand.
It seems likely that his collection will become even more substantial by the conclusion of this season.
About the Author
