Alex Chiasson and Alex Ovechkin became good friends while winning the Stanley Cup together with the Washington Capitals in 2018, and it turns out that Chiasson is actually the owner of one of the most iconic pieces of "Ovi" memorabilia.
Ovechkin gifted Chiasson, who scored the lone regulation goal in the team's Game 6 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round that ultimately led D.C. to the Eastern Conference Final, his Washington Nationals jersey from the team's celebration at Nats Park and the "Summer of Ovi."
"They gave Ovi a jersey to throw the first pitch. He actually signed that jersey and gave it to me," Chiasson said. "I'm not going to say where it is, but I have a lot of stuff like that I collected. For O to take the time, he wanted me to have it, it means a lot."
The Ovechkin Nationals jersey, complete with his name, number and captain's C, was a huge part of the team's memorable celebration across the District, where he held the Cup high in the stands of the ball park, did a keg stand with it to the chants of "Ovi, Ovi" and later on, swam in the fountains at the Washington Harbour.
"Still a little bit blurry," Chiasson quipped about the celebration.
Ovechkin and Chiasson remain friends to this day and got to catch up after Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record and scored No. 895 on Long Island.
Chiasson is back in Washington this week and is guest coaching the team's annual development camp, where he's helping prospects get comfortable and sharing lessons he learned over the course of his storied NHL career.
"I reached out to him, I sent him a text and he replied right away. We got to exchange a little bit," Chiasson said. "So yeah, it's special. Just for me to play the year with the greatest goal scorer that's ever played but also have won the Stanley Cup that he's won with, I think it gives you a little bit of perspective. He's special."
