Ovechkin stick collection during Gretzky chase ‘for memory, history’

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Alex Ovechkin tries not to look too far ahead in his chase of Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record of 894 goals, sticking with the “game by game” approach that has been his mantra while he closes in on a mark that he and many others used to think was unbreakable.

But if, as expected now, Ovechkin does surpass Gretzky -- he’s 11 goals away with 884 entering the Washington Capitals’ game against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, MSG) -- he already has a spot picked out for the stick he uses to score the record-breaking goal. The 39-year-old left wing has kept the sticks and pucks from each of his goals the past four seasons to chronicle his climb toward history.

He plans to display them, along with the rest of his extensive collection of sticks, pucks, jerseys, skates and gloves from various milestone moments in his career, in a museum in his hometown of Moscow, Russia.

“Just for history, for memories,” Ovechkin said. “Obviously, my kids love hockey and when they’re going to be growing up, they’re going to understand more who I am and they’re going to share those memories with their friends and family. It’s pretty cool.”

Ovechkin estimates that he has amassed “maybe 300-something” signed, game-used sticks from a host of current and former players during his 20 NHL seasons. Among his most prized are from Gretzky and legends he’s passed on the NHL goals list such as Mario Lemieux, Brett Hull, Mark Messier and Jaromir Jagr. He also has sticks from contemporaries such as Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and Auston Matthews.

“I have a Crosby first-year stick, McDavid first-year, MacKinnon, all those top players,” he said proudly.

Over the years, Ovechkin has brought home sticks by the carload and filled custom-made racks lining the walls in the basement of his house in Northern Virginia. Capitals teammates who saw the collection in its entirety were awed by the number and the variety of sticks it contains.

“It was, honestly, a lot to take in,” Capitals forward Tom Wilson said. “Usually, it was at a team party or something. You would go in there and have a couple drinks and look at all the different sticks and stuff. It was pretty impressive.”

Alex Ovechkin has a massive stick collection in his house and plans to display them in the future at a museum in Moscow. Photo by Washington Capitals

Ovechkin recently shipped many of his sticks and other memorabilia to Russia for his museum, which he said he plans to open in two years. He wants to give fans in his homeland the opportunity to see some of the history he’s experienced and made in the NHL.

A record-breaking goal stick would be the collection’s signature piece.

“Most of the sticks are over there already,” Ovechkin said. “I think it’s going to be cool.”

* * *

Like the children who attend Capitals games hoping to get one of Ovechkin’s sticks when they’re down by the glass during warmups, Ovechkin went to games when he was growing up in Russia and would ask the players for a stick as a souvenir. His fascination with sticks grew when he reached the NHL as 20-year-old rookie with Washington in 2005.

Lemieux’s was the first in his collection.

“One of our trainers gave me a Mario Lemieux stick and I thought, ‘Wow, that’s pretty sick,’” Ovechkin said. “So, I started collecting them, but back then I was too shy to ask.”

It’s hard to imagine the outgoing Ovechkin being shy, but he remembers nervously asking Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Brian Leetch, who played his final NHL season with the Boston Bruins in 2005-06, if he could have one of his sticks. Ovechkin gradually got over his shyness, though, and started to add to his collection with sticks from the players he admired from afar as a child.

“My favorite players were Owen Nolan and Jarome Iginla, and I was lucky enough to play against those guys,” he said. “Plus, I asked them for a stick.”

Similar requests were granted from many others, including Joe Thornton, Paul Kariya, Teemu Selanne, Zdeno Chara, Shea Weber and Steven Stamkos -- each either already in the Hockey Hall of Fame or headed there eventually. Not exclusive to skaters, Ovechkin said he also has sticks from “lots of goalies,” including Marc-Andre Fleury and Henrik Lundqvist, the two he’s scored the most goals against.

Ovechkin’s most recent goalie stick addition was the one teammate Charlie Lindgren used to accidentally backhand the puck into the Capitals’ net against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Nov. 27. The own goal gave Tampa Bay a 4-3 lead, but Washington used it as a rallying point and came back to win 5-4, turning the stick into a positive memory that Ovechkin wanted shared in his museum.

“It was a pretty cool moment,” Ovechkin said. “A pretty funny moment.”

Lindgren was surprised, though, when Ovechkin asked for the stick.

“Obviously, after the fact, everyone had a lot of fun with it,” Lindgren said. “He was hurt at that time, so I think it was the next practice or next day, he said, ‘Hey, I want you to sign that stick for the museum.’ I’m like, ‘All right. Perfect.’”

Lindgren autographed the stick with the message, “‘O’, Thanks for teaching me how to score goals.” He laughed at the idea that his stick will one day be in Ovechkin’s museum in the company of those from all-time greats such as Gretzky and Lemieux.

“I’ll gladly take it,” Lindgren said. “That’s a stick I wanted to forget about, but it’s going to be hanging out forever. I’ll have to go check it out one day. It will be kind of funny to look at it.”

The inclusion of Lindgren’s stick demonstrates the diversity of Ovechkin’s collection. Some sticks are from players or moments Ovechkin admired. Others are gifts with stories behind them.

Former NHL defenseman Darius Kasparaitis, who worked out with Ovechkin during the pause in the 2019-20 NHL season because of the COVID-19 pandemic, donated the stick he used to score the winning overtime goal -- and the puck from that goal -- for the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 7 of the 2001 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Buffalo Sabres.

“The range of players, caliber of players, the experience of players, it’s not like he’s taking the best player from every team,” Wilson said. “He’s taking a whole bunch of different sticks for different reasons and different guys.”

Capitals forward Aliaksei Protas said “of course” he wanted to check out Gretzky’s and Lemieux’s sticks when he first saw Ovechkin’s collection but also was drawn to “a couple unusual sticks.”

“I was interested to see Chara’s stick, big Zee,” Protas said. “It’s so long (67 inches). He has Joe Thornton’s stick. That also was pretty nice to see. And, for sure, it’s nice to take a look at McDavid’s stick. Just to kind of see it.

“I don’t believe it’s the stick that makes you that good in hockey, but I just wanted to see what he uses. But the collection of sticks is unbelievable.”

* * *

Getting a game-used stick from Gretzky, who retired in 1999, took some work. While on the Capitals’ California road trip in 2016, Ovechkin and his wife Nastya (then his fiancée) went out to dinner with Gretzky and his wife Janet in Malibu. In addition to seeking advice from Gretzky, a four-time Stanley Cup winner, on how to win the Cup, Ovechkin asked him for as stick.

“He said, ‘OK, when you win the Cup, I’ll give it to you,’” Ovechkin said, “So, I won the Cup, and I asked him, ‘Where’s my stick?’”

Gretzky recalled during a TNT telecast earlier this season that Ovechkin wasted no time contacting him after the Capitals won the Stanley Cup in 2018.

“The next day, he said, ‘Can I get that stick?’” Gretzky said. “I said, 'I think you should enjoy the Cup more than my stick right now.'”

Gretzky eventually delivered on his promise and shipped Ovechkin the two-piece aluminum-shafted Easton stick he used to score his 807th goal. He signed it, “To Alex, Love watching you play.” The Capitals posted a video on social media of a smiling Ovechkin unwrapping the stick after it arrived at Washington's practice rink in November 2019.

Ovechkin later compared receiving it to being “happy like a little kid to have a Christmas gift.”

The stick Gretzky used to score his 802nd goal against the Vancouver Canucks on March 23, 1994, to break the previous NHL record of 801 held by Gordie Howe, went to the Hockey of Hall of Fame in Toronto to be displayed along with the gloves and helmet he wore when he scored it. Don’t expect Ovechkin to hand over any of those items from the milestone goal to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

“They have a bunch of my stuff,” Ovechkin said. “But not sticks, not gloves, not helmets.”

Phil Pritchard, curator of the Hockey Hall of Fame, said Ovechkin has been “very generous” in the past, even if he’s held onto his sticks later in his career.

“He’s provided us with various items over the years including one of the sticks he scored one of his 50th goals with early in his career,” Pritchard said.

What from Ovechkin’s record-breaking goal will go to the Hall of Fame is still to be determined.

“I’ll be in Washington this weekend and I’m sure we’ll be talking about what lies ahead, “Pritchard said. “It’s certainly a significant moment in hockey and we’ll have plans for it. There’s a reason they’re calling it the Gr8 Chase.”

When Ovechkin and the Capitals visited the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto in 2019 to donate a Stanley Cup ring from their 2018 championship, their trip included a stop in the D.K. Doc Seaman Hockey Resource Centre. Ovechkin saw in the archives there some of his old equipment from before he played in the NHL, including a helmet with a tinted visor and a jersey he wore while representing Russia at the IIHF World Junior Championship.

While in the Hall of Fame’s famed Stick Storage Centre, which holds more than 4,000 sticks, the oldest dating to 1875, Ovechkin was fascinated with an old, wooden one with a long flat blade. It belonged to Maurice Richard, who held the NHL goal record with 544 before Howe passed him on Nov. 10, 1963.

No longer a shy rookie, Ovechkin boldly asked, “Can I have it?”

The answer was, “No.”

Ovechkin does have a stick that belonged to Howe, though. After Ovechkin scored his 802nd goal against the Winnipeg Jets on Dec. 23, 2022, to move past Howe into second in NHL history, the NHL Players’ Association gifted him with a stick and game puck from the lone international series Howe played in, the 1974 Summit Series between Canadian players from World Hockey Association and the Soviet Union national team.

The game-used stick was signed by players on the Soviet team, including Boris Mikhailov, Alexander Petrov, Alexander Yakushev and Valeri Kharlamov, and presented to Howe during the series along with the puck from a goal Howe scored against goalie Vladislav Tretiak in Game 4.

Ovechkin has the stick from his 802nd goal, along with those from his 500th, 600th, 700th and 800th goals and various other milestones. Another of his favorites is the stick he used to score his 50th goal of the 2008-09 season against the Tampa Bay Lightning and dropped to the ice for his famed too-hot-to-touch celebration.

Capitals owner Ted Leonsis gives Alex Ovechkin a commemorative gold hockey stick in honor of his 500th goal back in 2016. Getty Images

One stick Ovechkin doesn’t have is the one from his first NHL goal, which he scored in his League debut against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct 5, 2005.

“I gave it to my agent, Don Meehan, back then,” Ovechkin said. “But he promised me he’s going to give it to the Hall of Fame.”

* * *

These days, Ovechkin gives away as many of his sticks as he acquires from other players. Often, it’s in exchange for a stick he’s seeking or vice versa.

Opponents wanting a piece from his historic chase usually make the request through the teams’ equipment staffs.

“I got one from him last season,” Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov said. “It was a pretty cool moment actually.”

Barkov was surprised when Ovechkin asked for a stick in return. It was similar for Winnipeg Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey.

“It was a huge moment for me,” Morrissey said. “I asked Ovi for a stick probably two years ago and I know he gets asked a ton, but right away I was able to get one and he actually asked me to send one back. I know he’s got a massive collection, but that was pretty cool.

“I was pretty caught off guard when he asked for one back and definitely a surreal moment in my career.”

Surprisingly, many of Ovechkin’s teammates said they’ve never asked him for a stick. Center Nic Dowd, whose locker stall is next to Ovechkin’s at the Capitals’ practice facility, said he has a few of his sticks from practice. Defenseman John Carlson, who has been teammates with Ovechkin for 16 seasons, has some, too.

“I have a few of his older sticks,” Carlson said. “He’s obviously so generous too for (charity) auctions. With the amount of people that ask me for stuff, he helps a lot, which I’m extremely grateful for.”

Capitals center Dylan Strome got a stick from Ovechkin for his older brother Ryan Strome, who plays for the Anaheim Ducks, but doesn’t have one himself. Strome does have the stick he used to assist on Ovechkin’s 800th goal, which Ovechkin signed for him.

Wilson, who has been teammates with Ovechkin for 12 seasons, also does not have an Ovechkin stick.

“He gave one to my dad and, other than that, I don’t have one,” Wilson said. “I never asked him for one. When I scored my 100th goal, he signed the stick he assisted that goal on and he wrote something in Russian and gave it to my dad, which was very cool of him to do.”

What was the message in Russian?

“It says something like, ‘I assisted on his first and 100th goals. Congrats, Dad.’” Wilson said. “Pretty cool.”

When Protas was about to return to Prince Albert of the Western Hockey League following his first NHL training camp in 2019, he asked Ovechkin to sign “a piece of paper,” for his younger brother Ilya (now a Capitals’ prospect).

“He was like, ‘Are you kidding me? A piece of paper? I will give you a stick,’” Protas said. “I was like, ‘I’m going to be gone tomorrow,’ and he was like, ‘I will send it to you.’”

Ovechkin kept his promise, shipping a stick to Prince Albert that was signed by him and Russian Capitals teammates (at the time) Dmitry Orlov, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Ilya Samsonov. Protas said he and his brother “share” ownership of the stick.

Lindgren did not ask Ovechkin for a stick when he gave him his own goal stick but plans to do so before the end of this season.

“I’ll get one from him eventually,” Lindgren said. “I’ve got to ask him for it. I’m not going to miss the chance.”

* * *

When Ovechkin returns to the Capitals bench after scoring a goal, he’ll hand his stick to a member of the equipment staff, who will place a label on it documenting the goal and point number and the date. He usually switches out his stick after scoring a goal but used the same stick to score goal Nos. 881 and 882 against the Edmonton Oilers on Feb. 23.

The stick Alex Ovechkin used to score his 880th and 881st goals and his 1,595th point, on Feb. 23. Photo by Washington Capitals

Ovechkin also keeps the sticks from his assists, which are labeled with the point number and date, and the pucks from each of his goals, which the on-ice officials have been notified to take out of play. The NHL doesn’t plan to use special pucks for when Ovechkin ties and passes Gretzky, but each puck has a serial number so the League can track them.

Ovechkin said he’s yet to ship the goal pucks from the past four seasons to Russia. He’s scored 155 since the start of the 2021-22 season.

“Those are in my house right now,” he said. “I already have the frame for each goal.”

Nastya appreciates that Ovechkin cleared out a good number of his sticks, but, like he hasn’t slowed in scoring goals -- he has 31 in 45 games this season -- he also hasn’t slowed in bringing home sticks.

“She is crazy because sometimes I bring 10-15 sticks and I leave them at the house,” Ovechkin said. “And she’s like, ‘OK, go downstairs and put them in the basement.’”

Their sons, Sergei, 6, and Ilya, 4, are aware that these sticks are not toys.

“They know they can’t touch the sticks,” Ovechkin said. “They know that. They have their own sticks, small ones.”

Sergei actually has started his own stick collection, which includes contributions from Crosby, McDavid, MacKinnon and an addition this season from Wilson.

“‘Willie’ scored a goal, I think, against Buffalo and Sergei was at the glass,” Ovechkin said. “So, he gave him that stick. I ask him for that goal stick, a puck, and we’re going to frame it.”

Maybe Sergei’s collection will one day have its own section in Ovechkin’s museum. Wilson wants to visit the finished product when his playing days are over.

“I hope one day to go over there and link up with Ovi however many years down the road and check out the museum and just take it all in,” Wilson said. “It’s been a heck of a journey and watching him do many so many different cool things, it will be fun to have it all written down and accounted for.”