Alex Ovechkin calls back Capitals to shake Marc-Andre Fleury hand after game
(Screenshots/ ESPN+)

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Alex Ovechkin called the entire Capitals team back to shake Marc-Andre Fleury’s hand after their game
  • Fleury has surrendered more goals (28) to Ovechkin than any other goaltender in NHL history
  • Read below for details on Ovi’s classy gesture toward the retiring goaltender

Sometimes, the best moments in hockey happen after the final horn.

The Wild beat the Caps 4-2 on Thursday night, but nobody was talking about the score afterward.

As Washington players headed for the tunnel, Alex Ovechkin suddenly called everyone back. The captain waved his team onto the ice again for something you rarely see after a regular season game — a handshake line to honor Marc-Andre Fleury in his final season.

In a single file line led by Ovechkin, each member of the Capitals lineup trotted back onto the ice to meet and congratulate Fleury following his likely last meeting against Washington. The moment drew stick taps from the Wild players watching the unexpected tribute.

It was a particularly classy gesture, considering Fleury, while on the bench, didn’t even play in the game. Ovi wasn’t going to let Flower get away without a proper send-off, given the two players’ history.

This wasn’t just any opponent. Fleury’s been Ovechkin’s favorite goalie to torch throughout his career. Fleury has surrendered 28 goals to Ovechkin, more than any other goaltender Ovechkin has faced.

Their battles go back to 2005 when Ovi was a rookie, starting when Ovechkin beat Fleury for the first time on Jan. 25, 2006, the sole Capitals goal in an 8-1 drubbing by the Penguins.

“You have to respect greatness,” Caps center Dylan Strome said, adding that Ovechkin had discussed the handshake plan with the team before the game. Strome called Fleury “one of the best people in the game.”

Hockey fans ate it up on social media. “Game recognizes game,” wrote one. Another called it “straight class from Ovi.” The moment hit harder knowing Ovechkin’s six goals away from breaking Gretzky’s record, while Fleury winds down a Hall of Fame career.

These two have gone to war in the playoffs for years. Fleury knocked Ovi out three times with Pittsburgh (2009, 2016, 2017) en route to Stanley Cups. Ovechkin finally got his revenge in 2018 when he beat Fleury’s Vegas Golden Knights for the Cup.

Back in January, Ovechkin sent a signed jersey to Pascal Leclaire, the goaltender who allowed his first two NHL goals. Now he’s showing the same respect to a guy he’s tormented for nearly two decades.

As Ovi chases hockey history, this moment showed why he’s respected league-wide. Fleury himself recently joked, “I think I gave him a bit of a boost,” when discussing Ovechkin’s pursuit of Gretzky’s record.

Records come and go. Class is forever.