
Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin was back on the ice on Sunday for a good cause, as he took part in the "Match of the Year," a charity friendly between Russian NHL and KHL All-Stars.
To open the festivities, Ovechkin took the ice with his sons, Sergei and Ilya, for warmups ahead of the game. Both of his sons play and are left-hand shots, the opposite of their father.
Ovechkin was then honored with an on-ice ceremony ahead of the game, celebrated for passing Wayne Gretzky as the NHL's all-time leading goal scorer. He accomplished this feat this past season, scoring No. 895 on April 6 against Ilya Sorokin and the New York Islanders.
The 39-year-old also received a car as a gift for his milestone, a Jetour T2.
And of course, Ovechkin couldn't leave without scoring. The Russian crashed the crease and buried a cross-ice pass from Artemi Panarin to give the NHLers another goal on the night. The NHL stars won by a score of 15-3.
The Russian winger has officially started training for what will be his 21st NHL season and the final year of the five-year extension he signed with the Capitals back in 2021. He has not made any decision regarding his NHL future following this season.