- Sergei and Ilya Ovechkin took the mic to introduce their dad before his last home opener
- Ovechkin was mic’d up and gave the boys a review at center ice
- Read below to watch the video of the introduction
Alex Ovechkin got the best possible introduction for his final home opener in Washington.
His sons, Sergei and Ilya, called him onto the ice at Capital One Arena on Wednesday night before the Capitals hosted Sidney Crosby and the Penguins. Both boys wore their dad’s No. 8 jersey and grabbed the mic once PA announcer Wes Johnson finished with the rest of the roster.
The two of them shouted the big line together:
“Your captain, number 8, Alexander Ooooovechkin!”
Watch the introduction:
Ovechkin hugged both of them before skating out to center ice, where the crowd broke into “Ovi” chants.
The Great Eight was mic’d up for TNT’s national broadcast, so we got his review too. Lining up with Tom Wilson at the center-ice circle, he gave the boys a passing grade.
“They nailed it, yup,” Ovechkin said.
Capitals reporter Tarik El-Bashir caught the moment from inside the building:
Monday’s news gave the night extra weight. Ovechkin told his teammates that the 2026-27 campaign, his 22nd in the NHL, will be his last.
Home openers have always been good to him. Heading into Wednesday, Ovechkin had 31 points (20 goals, 11 assists) in 20 home openers, going back to his NHL debut on Oct. 5, 2005, when he scored twice at what was then the MCI Center.
This one also marked his 101st career meeting with Crosby, counting regular season and playoffs. Wayne Gretzky already said he thinks Sid has another year in him after Ovechkin walks away.
Sergei and Ilya set the bar pretty high for the rest of their dad’s final run in D.C.
