The Capitals prospect scored his first NHL goal with his captain's stick.
The Capitals prospect scored his first NHL goal with his captain's stick.
WASHINGTON — As the Washington Capitals take on the Chicago Blackhawks, Ivan Miroshnichenko is continuing to try out a new twig in his latest call-up, one he got from captain Alex Ovechkin.
Miroshnichenko is using Ovechkin's custom "Ovie" stick, the same one he scored his first NHL goal with back on Thursday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Ovechkin was perhaps the most excited for the young star, who overcame Hodgkin's Lymphoma to accomplish his NHL dream just two years later.
"I was so happy for him," Ovechkin said, adding, "He's great kid... he's gonna have a bright future, and everything that he been through in last couple years, to see him play in NHL, get his first NHL goal, it was pretty special. Happy for him, happy for his family."
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUWXQ-_JK64[/embed]
The 20-year-old also has his own Ribcor Trigger 8 Pro ready. It is a 100 flex stick, just like Ovechkin's.
Miroshnichenko has been using Ovechkin's sticks over the course of his first pro season in North America, appearing to prefer his countrymate's curve and lie.
Ovechkin is using custom sticks following a lengthy stint with CCM. After experimenting with the CCM Ribcor and JetSpeed and using a Bauer Vapor Hyperlite for a short stint — and even experimenting with a Warrior twig at practice — he turned to custom sticks that he's stuck with mainly after the All-Star break.
The change has been working well for Ovechkin, who has 10 goals in the last 15 games after managing just eight through the first 45 outings of the season.
Ovechkin sits 55 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky's all-time record of 894 NHL goals. And all the while, Miroshnichenko is just getting started.
(H/T to @TXHT_Hockey) on this report.