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.”
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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.”
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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.