- Alex Ovechkin suited up for Russia’s Street Cup, a street soccer tournament, over the weekend
- The Capitals captain uncorked a left-foot blast that left the defender who blocked it limping
- Read below for the full look at Ovi’s soccer cameo and his 2022 Dynamo Moscow goal
Alex Ovechkin found himself a new net to shoot at this weekend.
The Capitals captain played in the Street Cup, a Russian street soccer tournament, and did the one thing everyone expected. He lined up from his usual spot out on the left and hammered a left-foot rocket. The defender who got in front of it went limping off like a penalty killer who just wore a one-timer.
Watch Ovi load up the blast:
He showed up as a “Player of Planet Earth,” which meant a pre-autographed jersey and a ball painted to look like the globe. Nearly 30 players and refs lined up to high-five him on the way in.
Ovechkin told Okko Sport he would play forward, banking on his goal-scoring touch carrying over from stick to boot. Naturally, he wore No. 8.
He didn’t hit the scoresheet this time, at least not in any public reporting. He did stick around to sign autographs for a line of fans that never seemed to end.
Here’s more from Ovi’s day at the Street Cup:
This isn’t Ovi’s first soccer run in Russia. He signed a one-day contract with Dynamo Moscow back in 2022 and scored a goal in a friendly, then sent an opponent flying with a body check for good measure.
The soccer is in the blood. His late father, Mikhail, played professionally for Dynamo.
His summer has leaned soccer-heavy beyond the cameos, too. Ovi weighed in on the World Cup more than once, putting his money on Brazil or Spain and floating France as a contender. With the tournament down to its final four, his pick still has a pulse.
Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record last season and decided against retirement, so a 22nd NHL season is on deck. The Street Cup was just the warmup.
