Ovechkin’s Advice to Celebrini?

Alexander Ovechkin’s connections with the San Jose Sharks run deep.

Famously, he grew up a Sharks fan, in the early 90’s.

“One of my teammates back then wear the hat with a shark, and we were like, ‘What is it?’ Because we don’t know the team. He said it’s the team over in San Jose, so I have a hat, I have a hoodie and like a jacket,” Ovechkin told the Washington Post in 2016. “Ulf Dahlen, I remember, my dad gave me a jersey of Ulf Dahlen.”

Owen Nolan was his favorite player.

“My favorite player was Owen Nolan, who played in San Jose,” Ovechkin told Graham Bensinger in 2015. “He was physical, he can score goals, and he was a great leader.”

He’s long-time friends with Evgeni Nabokov.

“I know him since he was playing for Dynamo,” Ovechkin said on Friday. “He’s a tremendous human being, and obviously a legend from here.”

Nabokov played on Dynamo from 1994 to 1997, before he came over to North America.

Now, Ovechkin is coming through San Jose, just nine goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal-scoring record.

He’s got 16 games left this season to surpass 894 goals, starting on Saturday afternoon against the San Jose Sharks.

Macklin Celebrini, the 2024 No. 1 pick, will be watching Ovechkin, the 2004 No. 1 closely, as he’s done his whole life.

“Growing up, you always watch their highlights and their mix tapes,” Celebrini, an avowed Sidney Crosby fan, said.

“Watching that hockey, I think, is peak childhood,” he said of Crosby-Ovechkin’s classic playoff battles.

The 18-year-old is hoping to have a career like Ovechkin.

“That’s everyone’s goal, to play as long as you can and play as many games as you can, and to do it the way he plays. He’s a physical force out there,” Celebrini said. “He’s massive, just the way he’s able to play, and the length of time.”

The 6-foot-3 winger is also 309 hits away from breaking Cal Clutterbuck’s all-time hits record.

So does Ovechkin have any longevity advice for Celebrini?

“Just be yourself, work hard, be smart, and everything’s gonna be good.”