Ovechkin gifts stick to Zubov, fills missing piece in his collection

Whose hockey stick is missing from your collection?

For Dallas Stars legend Sergei Zubov, it is Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin. That was until Jan. 28, when the Capitals captain gave Zubov all he's been looking for.
In a
Q&A with NHL.com
, Zubov said his collection houses 20-25 sticks from Brett Hull, Teemu Selanne, Joe Sakic, Brian Leetch, Mike Modano and more. The one stick he didn't yet have, that he'd be willing to buy himself, was Ovechkin's.
"Old sticks, all made of titanium," Zubov said. "Actually, Selanne's stick is from very early in his NHL career. The one thing I should've done many years ago was get a stick from a rookie named Alex Ovechkin. That's the one my collection is still missing."
Ovechkin heard of Zubov's collection dilemma and, before he walked out of American Airlines Center on Jan. 28 -- the night the Stars raised Zubov's No. 56 into the rafters -- left a stick especially for Zubov.

The retired defenseman recorded a video to both thank Ovechkin and wish him well, after hearing the news that he will miss the 2022 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas after being placed in COVID-19 protocol.
"Alex, thank you so much for the amazing gift," Zubov said. "It's a great addition to my collection. You have an incredible season. Keep playing hard as you do every night and keep bringing joy to all hockey fans in the world. I wish you luck and stay healthy."
The two Russian greats played each other twice before Zubov retired after the 2008-09 season. Now, Zubov will forever have something to remember their matches by.