Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Alex Ovechkin Sends Special Gift To Goaltender He Scored His First NHL Goals Against

Originally posted on Blade of Steel | By Tom Banks | Last updated Mar 14, 2025 8:03 PM ET

Alex Ovechkin is closing in on NHL history, and before he reaches that milestone, he sent out a special gift to the goaltender he scored #1 against.

Alex Ovechkin's career may be in the final chapter in North America, but the Washington Capitals captain is still playing at an elite level as he's now less than 10 goals away from becoming the NHL's all-time leading goal scorer.

Over the years, Ovechkin has set an NHL record with the amount of different goaltenders he's scored on, and with the record now just potentially a few games away from being broken, it's clear that Ovi is revisiting his career.

That became apparent when he recently sent a signed jersey to Pascal Leclaire, the goaltender he scored his first ever NHL goal on it, and unsurprisingly, Ovi couldn't help but take a cheeky dig at the former NHL goaltender.

You were #1

In signing the jersey, Oveckin couldn't help but remind Leclaire that he was the first ever goaltender he scored on, but unsurprisingly there's no hard feelings, as No. 8 has gone on to score against 178 different goaltenders other than Leclaire in his career.

With nine more goals, Ovechkin will pass what many thought was once an unattainable record set by Wayne Gretzky, and given how he's rebounded in 2024/25, it's a matter of when, not if he makes NHL history and solidifies himself as the greatest of all-time.

You never forget your first however, and after scoring on Leclaire way back in October of 2005, he's reminded Leclaire about it, and once he passes Gretzky's record, many will look back throughout his career and remember how lucky every NHL fan has been to see a star like this thrive for so many years in Washington.

This article first appeared on Blade of Steel and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: