Marc-Andre Fleury reacts the only way he knows how to Alex Ovechkin’s classy move

On Thursday night, Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin made sure his teammates were coming back on the ice to give Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury a center-ice player by play goodbye in Minnesota. The Caps had just lost 4-2 to the Wild, but Ovi was not going to miss the chance for he and his teammates to shake hands with Flower, who will retire once the season comes to an end.

With this probably being the last time Ovechkin was on the ice with the veteran goalie, he knew he had to give him a proper sent-off. Ovi was the first to greet him as they shared a hug and a laugh, and chatted a bit before the rest of the Capitals’ squad followed suit.

On Friday, Fleury was asked about Ovechkin’s gesture and what it meant to him and, Flower with his signature grin, commented how privileged he feels to have played against such a talented player during his career. And he had to start things off by poking a little fun at his opponent: 

“You know, I always loved to hate Ovi, just because we had so many battles. With the Penguins, you know, a few playoff series. Even throughout the season too, him and Sid, it was always a big deal. It was always a big game.

“I feel very lucky and fortunate I got to play so many games against him, compete against him. He’s obviously a tough opponent… I’m glad he came and I could say something to him and how he had such a tremendous career.”

Fleury, who’s in his 21st and assuredly final season in the league, was the backup of the game between the Caps and Wild. He was able to watch Ovi attempted to add one more tally to his 889 career goals, standing just six away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record.

As Fleury mentioned, he and Ovechkin faced off several times in the past, especially as the Capitals frequently met the Penguins over the first 13 seasons of his career with Pittsburgh. Ovechkin had 28 goals in 47 games against Fleury, his most against any goalie.

Legends recognize legends, and it was no different last night in Minny. Gotta love it!