Caps' Ovechkin to bring family on ice, appear at DC fan event to celebrate record

The celebrations are just getting started for the Washington Capitals Alex Ovechkin after he secured his spot on top of the record books as the NHL s all-time goal-scorer Fans will get a chance to celebrate Ovi at Thursday s home match and see an appearance Friday at Union Station Ovechkin surpassed the previous record of held by Wayne Gretzky on Sunday After making history Ovechkin s teammates and Capitals fans erupted in cheers and celebrations Ovechkin slid across the ice on his stomach before standing up and getting mobbed by his fellow Capitals teammates ELMONT NY APRIL Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals celebrates as he scores his th career NHL goal developing the record of goals set by Wayne Gretzky during a battle against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on April in Elmont N Y Photo by John McCreary NHLI via Getty Images Ovechkin s journey to the record-breaking title has been dubbed as the GR Chase a reference to his Capitals jersey number eight Arlington students chanting Ovi Ovi were ecstatic to get a chance to see Ovechkin practice at the MedStar Capitals Iceplex Wednesday as he begins a domination lap around the District Fans who want to get in on the action can find opportunities around the District Caps to celebrate Ovechkin at contest on Thursday Plans are in the works for fans plus Ovechkin his family and teammates to celebrate at the Capitals first home match since he broke the record Thursday s face-off against the Carolina Hurricanes The Capitals will hold a Gr ness pregame ceremony to mark the moment Ovechkin s family including his wife Nastya children Sergei and Ilya mother Tatyana and father-in-law Kirill are expected to be on the ice to honor his milestone During the ceremony Ovechkin will receive a special gift from the family of Capitals owner Ted Leonsis the organization and his teammates All attendees will receive a free rally towel presented by Venture Global featuring the iconic image of Ovechkin s ice slide as he celebrates his record breaker They can also stop by The Ovi Shop for special merch or take a picture on The Gr King throne at section Fans can also stream the ceremony on the Monumental Sports Architecture or the Monumental app Ovechkin to appear at Union Station on Friday Alex Ovechkin is set to appear at the GR City Celebration at Union Station The event is scheduled from - p m on Friday It s free and open to the general populace Ovechkin will appear alongside fellow Caps stars Nicklas Backstrom and TJ Oshie plus Leonsis Highlights include Skee Ball a GR Retail Pop Up Shop an inflatable shooting cage photo backdrops including the CAPITALS letters and more the Capitals stated in a press release Alumni appearances and giveaways of Ovi fat heads on a stick coasters buttons GR ness T-Shirts and more are also on tap the Capitals declared Murals and other techniques to celebrate Ovi seems to be everywhere Locals and tourists will see a GR on the entrance of Union Station greet travelers Two murals honor Ovechkin s G O A T status and Gr ness in Adams Morgan and the Union Domain District respectively Hi-Lawn s Capitals SkyRink a synthetic ice rink located on the rooftop at Union Territory is open Wednesdays through Sundays until April Tickets range from - Attendees wearing Capitals gear will receive yellow skate laces in honor of Ovechkin The Ovi commemorations didn t stop at the ice hockey rink They ve taken over social media Ovechkin has a TikTok face filter so fans can mirror the look of a GOAT The hashtag Gr ness on X also displays a custom Alex Ovechkin hashflag with the landmark While one might think the chase is over Ovechkin s partnership with the V Foundation For Cancer Research continues The campaign known as THE GR CHASE for Triumph Over Cancer donates of collected funds to pediatric cancer research and has raised more than Fans can donate to the cause and Ovechkin will also personally contribute Ovechkin s donations will be matched by Monumental Sports Entertainment meaning each goal scored will bring a donation that is double his career goal total at that time A special Ovi Shop will remain open at Capital One Arena for the remaining Capitals home games The shop will be open from a m to p m until Saturday April Located on th Street the shop features a collection of merchandise related to Ovechkin and his new status in the NHL The Squad Store at Capital One Arena also has additional Ovechkin merchandise The store is open from a m to p m Tuesdays through Saturdays Want to know what s up for your weekend Sign up for The Weekend Scene our newsletter about events experiences and adventures for you and for your family around the DMV This story uses functionality that may not work in our app Click here to open the story in your web browser