The Capitals captain has been with CCM since 2017.
The Capitals captain has been with CCM since 2017.
WASHINGTON – Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin had a brand new twig to kick off the preseason, and he could be hinting at a move from CCM.
Ovechkin was using a Bauer Nexus Geo as he took the ice for his first exhibition game of training camp. He had been using the CCM Ribcor Trigger 8 Pro and JetSpeed FT5 Pro through training camp, and he has been exclusively using CCM sticks since signing a contract with them in 2017.
Bauer's Nexus series of sticks feature a mid-kick point. His previous stick, the Ribcor Trigger ASY that he used for years, has a low kick point.
The 37-year-old had previously signed with Bauer Hockey back in 2011, using their gear as part of a six-year deal before returning to CCM, the brand he started his NHL career with.
In March 2023, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, CCM had stopped featuring Ovechkin and other Russian-born players in their advertising. It is unclear if Ovechkin's deal with CCM is coming to an end, though, or if this is just a change and experiment during preseason.
For now, the rest of Ovechkin's gear is CCM, including his skates (Tacks), gloves (JetSpeed), helmet (Tacks) and pants.
As he enters his 19th NHL season, Ovechkin sits at 822 goals and is 73 away from breaking Wayne Gretzky's all-time NHL goals record of 894. He collected 257 regular-season goals during his previous stint with Bauer.
Washington opens the season on Oct. 13 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.