Sitting at Nobu Malibu, an upscale beachfront restaurant in Southern California, Washington Capitals left winger Alex Ovechkin interrogated fellow all-time hockey great Wayne Gretzky.
The 2016 double date between the highest goal scorers in NHL history and their wives slowly morphed into a sit-down interview. Even though this was their first-ever extended get-together, Gretzky did not seem bothered by Ovechkin’s probing questions. After all, Gretzky once pestered the late Gordie Howie in a similar manner.
Gretzky told Ovechkin that he should preserve his game-used equipment like he did, especially in the twilight years of his career. Ovechkin took that advice to heart—and with each signature one-timer slammed in from the left side of the ice, his mementos have become more valuable.
Ovechkin is now 10 goals away from breaking Gretzky’s career record (894); he scored No. 885 at Madison Square Garden in an overtime win against the New York Rangers on Wednesday night. That puck will join a heap of others that the 39-year-old possesses; he has collected every puck scored over the last three years with help from league officiating crews and team officials.
Capitals equipment staff know the drill. Pucks are immediately labeled with their date, opponent and goal number. The same process applies to each stick Ovechkin uses to score.
Ovechkin takes the sticks to his Virginia home, while the pucks are delivered collectively to him at the end of the season.
A large collection of Gretzky memorabilia is displayed at Studio 99 restaurant at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Canada. This also inspired Ovechkin, who plans to one day fill out a commemorative display in Washington, D.C. and build a museum in his hometown of Moscow.
Some of his collected sticks are already back in Russia in preparation for the site, and he looks forward to his two children seeing the finished product.
“They’re going to be part of the museum and part of my home,” Ovechkin said in an interview. “I’ve been a hockey fan since I was young. I want to see all the little [equipment] things. When we went to Edmonton, I stopped by [Studio 99], I was very impressed.”
Ovechkin also holds onto items obtained from current and former players who’ve taken the ice. Years ago, he first picked up a signed stick from former Pittsburgh Penguins icon Mario Lemieux, and the collection has since grown to more than 200 sticks with autographs from everyone from longtime rival Sidney Crosby to Connor McDavid.
Ovechkin’s teammates say that the third-longest tenured captain in league history has by far the largest memorabilia collection of anyone on the team.
“When I played in Winnipeg, one of the trainers once told me that Ovechkin wants a stick from me,” Capitals forward Pierre-Luc Dubois said in an interview. “I thought, ‘Wow, that’s cool,’ and then they [told] me that he asks like every guy.”
This includes Capitals goalkeeper Charlie Lindgren, who accidently backhanded the puck into his own goal during a game against Tampa Bay last November. It’s a reminder that Ovechkin’s stick collection not only includes Hall of Famers but also oddballs and mementos of funny instances. Even as he gets closer to being immortalized as the NHL’s goals leader, Ovechkin remains a hockey fan at heart.
“I’ve seen his stick rack at the rink, he definitely has a lot of sticks,” Capitals defensemen Matt Roy said in an interview. “I threw mine in there as a joke. Not sure if he has seen it yet.”
Ovechkin is the latest star athlete to intentionally collect on his way to a record. Former San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds, who holds the record for the most MLB home runs (762), had nearly everything he wore and used for each homer from 700 to 756 authenticated and stored in a warehouse in San Mateo, Calif. Bonds previously kept some of the major milestones on display in his home, similar to what Ovechkin plans to do.
For the most important items to come for Ovechkin, such as the record-breaking puck and stick, the final resting spot has not been confirmed yet.
The Capitals’ parent company Monumental Sports & Entertainment recently partnered with collectibles media and marketing service Cllct, and it will want to show off some of the cherished items to display for fans. The Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto also wants in, so who borrows what and who keeps what continues to be sorted out.
Ovechkin made at least one thing clear about the future of his milestone memorabilia.
“I’m not going to sell it.”
(With assistance from Barry M. Bloom.)
