ARLINGTON, VA — The Washington Capitals were back to work on Wednesday after a much-appreciated two days off, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t time for fun.
After wrapping up practice, Alex Ovechkin went from player to coach, welcoming players from the American Special Hockey Association (ASHA) for a clinic at MedStar Capitals Iceplex.
Ovechkin’s former teammate Mike Green was also in attendance the event, while current Caps players Justin Sourdif, Hendrix Lapierre, and Ethen Frank helped lead stations in each of the rink’s zones.
Plenty more familiar faces greeted Ovechkin, who has been a ASHA ambassador since 2014, including Nate Miller, a participant in last month’s pregame ceremony honoring his 900th goal and 1,500th NHL game.
Several young skaters took the chance to congratulate Ovechkin on his historic year.
“It’s a good thing that they still remember me and they still recognize me,” Ovechkin said. “A couple of kids (told me) congrats about the record and the 900, so that’s special.”
This year’s clinic was just the latest in a series of skates Ovechkin has hosted with ASHA. He’s been an ambassador for the organization since 2014, and he’s taken part in on-ice and street hockey events during eight seasons. The organization enables those with intellectual, developmental, and physical disabilities to participate in hockey, and currently supports an estimated 100 clubs.
“It’s great,” Ovechkin said of Wednesday’s event. “We spend time with those kids. You can see parents smiling, they’re smiling, they have some fun…I’m enjoying it personally; I’m enjoying it too. I’m enjoying fun with them. Play hockey, see the score goals celebration.”
After posing for a group photo, Ovechkin and his teammates coached the players through small-area games: though they occasionally jumped in for a goal or an assist, they spent much of the time cheering participants on.
Ovechkin later told reporters that the players were plenty competitive even in a friendly scrimmage.
“One guy hit my leg with a stick. I was like, ‘Okay, settle down, man. I have to play hockey tomorrow,’” he said. “Yeah, but they have fun. They’re skating, they’re working hard, and it’s good.”
Though he was busy on the ice for much of the afternoon, Ovechkin also appreciated the chance to catch up with Green, who played with him on the Capitals from 2005 to 2015.
“Obviously, I didn’t see him much, but yeah, he supports this community a lot, hockey, and I’m happy to see him,” Ovechkin said.
Around 50 players took part in Wednesday’s clinic, which included members of the Washington Ice Dogs, NOVA Cool Cats, Montgomery Cheetahs, Frederick Gargoyles, Richmond Retrievers, and Hershey Heroes.
The so-called “Ovechkin Effect,” which has seen hockey programs flourish in the DMV over Ovechkin’s career, is visible in adaptive hockey as well. Since he started volunteering with and donating to ASHA, the organization has grown from 45 programs to 140 programs nationally, bringing hockey to over 8,750 athletes.
“You can see how big right now it is,” Ovechkin said. “It grows fast…I’m very happy to be able to raise (attention), to see more kids be able to skate, and help them with the sport.”
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