It's The Middle Of The Summer And Alex Ovechkin Is Still Scoring Disgusting Shootout Goals

I didn't think that when I sat down at my computer this morning I'd have a goal from the world of hockey to talk about, but dammit, if Alexander Ovechkin didn't deliver the way he so often does.

The man will probably become the top goal-scorer in NHL history in a few years, so it shouldn't be a shock that he's throwing down highlight-reel material in August.

This one comes from an exhibition game in Ovie's home country of Russia, the land of vodka, bears riding unicycles and Danis Zaripov.

That last name is key in this instance. It may not ring a bell, but Zaripov is a hockey legend in Russia and played 26 professional seasons in the KHL and Russian Superleague. He called it a career earlier this year, but a farewell game was held in his honor.

Ovechkin in the game were ex-NHLers Alexander Radulov and Pavel Datsyuk, his former Capitals teammate Alexander Semin, and current teammate Evgeny Kuznetsov among others.

One of the attendees was Ovechkin. He threw down this gem in a shootout.

The ol' between-the-legs move isn't as rare as it was when Marek Malik broke everyone's brains with it, but few can pull it off as smoothly as the Great 8.

I feel like most guys will just snap one past the goalie, but how many dudes can go bar down with authority the way the Capitals star can?

Not a whole hell of a lot.

Ovechkin will enter the 2023-24 NHL season with 822 goals. That's just 72 off of Wayne Gretzky's 894. He had 42 goals last season, so if he scores at that clip again, he could break the record during the 2024-25 season.

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