Alex Ovechkin Says His Hockey Stick Collection Will Eventually Go To A Museum
Posted on October 12, 2021 by Jon Sorensen
Photo: @artymusic
We first reported on Alex Ovechkin’s impressive hockey stick collection back in 2015. The Capitals captain has been diligently collecting game-used sticks from NHL players since the start of his career.
Ovechkin spoke about his stick collection in a unique interview with his wife, Nastya, conducted over the summer but released by Russian media outlet MatchTV on Tuesday.
[Nastya] Tell us about your stick collection.
“I remember which stick appeared first. It was the stick of one of my favorite players, Mario Lemieux. We played away against Pittsburgh and he passed that stick through a service man. The next day, when we returned to Washington, he handed me this stick. Autographed by Lemieux. When we play against some star players, we exchange sticks. Then I started collecting mine too. I put marks on them, for example, a stick with which I scored 50 goals.”
[Nastya] Which player’s stick was the hardest to get?
“Conor McDavid. It was a few years ago. The difficulty was that Edmonton forbade him to trade sticks. But they made an exception for me. I asked very much.”
[A Glimpse Inside Alex Ovechkin’s Hockey Stick Collection]
[Nastya] I know that in the future you want to house this whole collection of sticks in your museum. What else will there be?
“There will be sticks, skates, gloves, T-shirts, paintings … Both mine and other players. For fans who follow the NHL in Russia, I think it will be interesting.”
The Great Eight has collected more than 100 hockey sticks and hasone impressive collection. In April of 2020, Ovechkin and hockey icon Wayne Gretzky sat down for their first-ever joint interview in the second episode of the NHL’s “Hockey at Home” series. One notable topic was when Ovechkin received Gretzky’s game-used stick last fall, which was a promise The Great One made if the Capitals captain won the Stanley Cup.
By Jon Sorensen
Related Reading:
A Look Inside Alex Ovechkin’s ‘Man Cave’
Another One for the Collection: Darius Kasparaitis Donates Renowned Stick & Puck to Alex Ovechkin
Alex Ovechkin Gives Tour of Hockey Memorabilia at Home in Russia
A Closer Look at Ovechkin’s 2017-2018 Measuring Stick
About Jon Sorensen
Jon has been a Caps fan since day one, attending his first game at the Capital Centre in 1974. His interest in the Caps has grown over the decades and included time as a season ticket holder. He has been a journalist covering the team for 10+ years, primarily focusing on analysis, analytics and prospect development.
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