“I don’t recall seeing this other than Wayne Gretzky,” said one of the commentators after Alex Ovechkin‘s remarkable gesture toward Marc-Andre Fleury. As the Washington Capitals moved toward the tunnel after losing 4-2 against the Minnesota Wild, Ovechkin beckoned his teammates and lined them up on the ice to honor Fleury after his 21-year-long career.

The heartwarming gesture lasted over a minute as each of the Capitals members congratulated Fleury on an incredible career. Yet, Ovechkin’s gesture toward his rival may not have come as a surprise to some, considering the history the two NHL legends share. After all, throughout his over two-decade-long career, Marc-Andre Fleury has played a huge role in Ovechkin’s NHL all-time goals record chase.

Of Alex Ovechkin’s 889 career goals so far, he has scored 28 times against the Wild goaltender in 47 games. That’s more goals and more games for Ovechkin against Fleury than any other netminder in his entire career. That’s “too many,” said Marc-Andre Fleury during Thursday’s morning practice ahead of facing the Capitals.

Well, that’s because this was the final meeting between the Capitals and Wild for the 2024-25 season. The Great 8 likely won’t play against Fleury in the NHL again unless Washington and Minnesota make it to the Stanley Cup final. In fact, the veteran hockey star didn’t play tonight either, as Filip Gustavsson looked after the net against the Capitals tonight.

Alex Ovechkin even lamented losing his chance to face the prolific goaltender for the final time. “Obviously, he’s one of the best goalies to ever play. It’s kind of sad that he’s not playing tonight,” said the NHL forward, who is just six goals away from equaling Wayne Gretzky’s coveted record. In fact, Ovi’s gesture toward the Wild goalie wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment thing, either.

Alex Ovechkin had a discussion with the team

Despite often being a foil to one another on the ice, Ovechkin’s gesture showed just how much respect he had for Marc-Andre Fleury. It’s as one of the commentators put it: “He’s a remarkable person. Every stop he’s been to, he has been a most favored son. And it’s because of the way he plays… the way that he treats people.” So even a rival like Ovechkin will miss his presence.

After all, the man who has stopped so many of his shots is much more than a footnote to Alex Ovechkin’s record chase. So, it’s no surprise that Alex Ovechkin had pre-planned tonight’s gesture with the team. Capitals center Dylan Strome spilled the beans on the team leader’s plan after the game.

“Dylan Strome said Alex Ovechkin talked to the team before the game about the ‘classy gesture’ of doing a post-game handshake line with Marc-Andre Fleury. Called Fleury one of the best people in the game. ‘You have to respect greatness,'” posted Minnesota Wild reporter Joe Smith. The Captian’s actions moved everyone, including Marc-Andre Fleury.

Fleury, who already experienced a similar gesture during his final game in Montreal against the Canadiens, said he was fortunate to play against Ovechkin, becoming part of the forward’s quest to beat Wayne Gretzky. “I feel lucky I got to play so many games against him,” Fleury said. “Maybe not getting scored on so much by him, but it was a good battle,” the netminder said as per NHL.com.

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