ARLINGTON, Va. -- Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals have a plan to ensure that his climb up the NHL goals list will have a lasting impact beyond the ice.
Ovechkin, the Capitals and the Monumental Sports and Entertainment Foundation announced Thursday the Gr802 Auction of items from the celebration of Ovechkin scoring his 802nd goal last season to pass Gordie Howe for second in NHL history. Proceeds will be used to fund an Alex Ovechkin Legacy Ball Hockey Rink to be constructed at a location to be determined in Virginia, Maryland or Washington.
“I think it’s important to grow hockey in this area,” Ovechkin said. “Obviously, kids [and] parents love hockey, and that’s going to be very important for me and for us to build more rinks here.”
Since 2015, the Capitals, in conjunction with the NHL and NHL Players’ Association Industry Growth Fund, have invested more than $3.5 million in growing access to the game off the ice through their Hockey School presented by Capital One and the construction or refurbishment of 14 ball hockey rinks in the area. Adding another ball hockey rink in Ovechkin’s name will be the next step in his commitment during his 19 NHL seasons with Washington to providing children with multiple avenues to learn about hockey and play it.
Ovechkin launched Ovi's 8's in 2006 to provide underserved children with tickets to Capitals games. The 38-year-old has been an ambassador for American Special Hockey Association since 2014, hosting on-ice skating sessions with the group and a ball hockey event outside Capital One Arena in 2017. In January, he made a donation to help cover ice costs for 136 special hockey teams, including 5,260 players and nearly 400 coaches, across the United States.
“We’ve seen his impact on the game on ice,” said Peter Robinson, Capitals director of youth hockey development. “Since he started in 2005-06, we’ve seen a 70 percent growth overall in USA Hockey registrations, which is on-ice participation. In that same time frame, we’ve seen a 140 percent growth overall in female hockey, in terms of registration for on-ice. Then we’ve also seen a 65 percent increase of registered USA Hockey coaches, all in Maryland, D.C. and Virginia combined.
“That impact is pretty significant, and a lot of it can be attributed to what we call the ‘Ovi effect.’ But it’s been all on ice. So I think he’s now looking at the larger picture and he realizes what we have done as an organization focusing on providing access to the sport in all of its forms.”
The Gr802 Auction will include 26 autographed warmup jerseys, featuring Ovechkin’s No. 8, which were worn by the Capitals players ahead of their game against Columbus Blue Jackets on March 21. Ovechkin was honored in a pregame ceremony that night for passing Howe when he scored his 802nd goal against the Winnipeg Jets on Dec. 23, 2022.
The fundraiser also includes autographed Gr802 locker stall nameplates, signed Gr802 pucks as well as a framed signed team Gr802 Capitals puck set.
The auction, which can be accessed at WashCaps.com/OviAuction, closes at 12 p.m. ET on Dec. 15. After its completion, the Capitals will determine, based on the amount of money raised, the location and size of rink to be constructed. Robinson said additional funds from the Monumental Sports and Entertainment Foundation or the Industry Growth Fund could be used to supplement the proceeds from the auction.
“Ideally we would have a rink just like the other 14 we have built so far, which would be a functional-size rink that can have youth programming and adult programming utilized by the community year-round,” Robinson said.
Ovechkin, who said he played some street hockey when he was growing up in Russia, believes getting children involved in the game can pay dividends in the future.
“We never know,” he said. “Maybe it’s going to be the next Nicklas Backstrom [or] T.J. Oshie we will find.”
