Alexander Ovechkin, the Washington Capitals forward, won over everyone’s hearts with the sweetest gesture back in 2014. Born to recognized Moscovite sportspersons, the Russian ice hockey player has been playing with the Washington Capitals since day 1 of his career as a left winger and is currently the captain of the team.
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In 2014, Alexander Ovechkin met a girl he described as the “cutest little girl” he had ever seen at a charity event. This girl was Ann Schaab, a 10-year-old girl who is a skater for the Washington Ice Dogs, a program run by the American Special Hockey Association. It seemed like little Ann Schaab won over Ovechkin completely because he gave her an unbelievable gift.
The sweet gesture by Alexander Ovechkin
The 2015 NHL-All Star game was sponsored by Honda, and Honda gifted Alexander Ovechkin with a 2015 Honda Accord. However, Ovechkin decided to gift the car to the Washington Ice Dogs to honor his new friend, Ann. According to an article published on the official NHL website, the girl’s mother was touched by the thoughtful actions of Ovechkin, and grateful that he made her little girl feel special.
Alex Ovechkin and good friend Ann Schaab in front of the car he donated to her and the WSH Ice Dogs. #Caps #classact pic.twitter.com/ibjVQuDDGm
— BarbWire TV (@BarbWireTV) February 10, 2015
The 10-year-old’s mother said, “It just surprised me that in the midst of all that activity going on, for Ovi to stop and give a shout-out to Ann and to special hockey was just amazing to me.” While the car was a useful and prodigious gift for the special program, Ann Chaab being Ovechkin’s friend quickly became the promising highlight.
Her mother explained saying, “There was one gentleman that interviewed [Ovechkin] after the game and he said something about ‘a very special girl named Ann’ and her face just lit up when she heard that. She said, ‘That’s me. He’s talking about me.’ I think that that was more significant to her than the car.” While it was an amazing gesture, it was quite a ride for Ovechkin who had to beat all odds to get to a point in his career which enabled such a humbling gesture for Ann.
The bond between Ovechkin and Ann
Before the incident, when Ovechkin and Ann met, the little girl asked him out on a dinner date, and they went for sushi. Since then, they developed a special bond, but Ovechkin kept the gift a secret. He said, “It was a secret all along. You don’t want to open up all the doors. Of course it was kind of funny, and there were some strange moments, but I’m happy that my agent and Honda were able to make it happen. She will be happy. She’s going to remember this her whole life.”
Ann Schaab is here, flanking Alex Ovechkin. "He's my boyfriend. He is, because I love him."
— Adam Vingan (@AdamVingan) February 9, 2015
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While Ovechkin tried his best, he failed to win any of the cars handed out as prizes during the entire event. However, when Honda found out why he was so eager to win a car, they surprised him by gifting him one. He promptly gifted it to the Ice Dogs, just to make Ann feel special.
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The generosity was not lost on Ovechkin, as he said, “It means a lot. Honda connected with my agent and they just gave me a car, so I’m going to donate to [Ice Dogs] and that sweet little girl.” This gesture definitely showed that Alexander Ovechnik is an emotional man, who is as good a human as he is a sportsman.
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