ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — The happiest skilled athlete outdoors of soccer about Lionel Messiwinning the World Cup is likely to be hockey star Alex Ovechkin.A longtime fan of Messi, Ovechkin is reveling in Messi getting the job carried out with Argentina, together with scoring twice and making a penalty kill within the instant-classic remaining in opposition to France on Sunday.“I used to be very excited,” Ovechkin mentioned Monday. “After all, all people is aware of he’s my favourite participant and to see lastly he get his dream and win the World Cup, it’s fairly large for him and I’m very blissful for him.”Ovechkin obtained a Messi Barcelona jersey and a visit to Spain to observe him play there and go behind the scenes as a present from teammates to have fun his 1,000th NHL sport three years in the past. He has met him and brought footage with him.There are many parallels between Ovechkin lastly hoisting the Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals in his thirteenth NHL season and Messi successful the World Cup in probably his final alternative at age 35. Very similar to Ovechkin drove the bus on the Capitals’ first title run in franchise historical past and received the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, Messi was dominant all through the event, changing into the primary participant to attain in group play and every of the knockout rounds.“Yeah, however I don’t know the way he’s going to have fun,” Ovechkin mentioned. “That’s a unique a part of the story.”Ovechkin and the Capitals famously went swimming in fountains in Washington and partied with the Cup like few groups have carried out in latest historical past. Messi must placed on fairly the present in Buenos Aires to match that feat.Whereas watching Messi fulfill his dream, Ovechkin is on the verge of constructing extra historical past in his sport. Final week he grew to become simply the third participant to succeed in the 800-goal mark and he’s one in need of tying and two from passing Gordie Howe for second on the NHL profession record.Ovechkin met Howe, who died in 2016, on the 2009 All-Star Recreation in Montreal and has an image of them in his house autographed by “Mr. Hockey.”“It’s most likely my prime factor in my assortment,” Ovechkin mentioned. “Clearly, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky’s stick, Mario Lemieux’s stick, it’s most likely the highest one.”___Follow AP Hockey Author Stephen Whyno on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SWhyno___AP NHL: https://Fifanews.com/hub/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Ovechkin revels in Messi successful World Cup with Argentina
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