WASHINGTON – Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin raised his arms and showed off his recognizable grin when the curtain dropped to reveal a poster of the hockey star celebrating a goal on the front of a double decker bus parked outside the Verizon Center.
The four-time NHL MVP was honored with the decal and a personalized seat on the top level as the latest inductee to the Ride of Fame, a global series of mobile monuments that honors individuals who positively represent their city through their achievements.
“Ovie was an obvious choice,” said David W. Chien, creator of the Ride of Fame. “Everyone loves him. He’s having a career year.”
April has been a great month for Ovechkin, 29, and the Capitals. The team clinched its place in the Stanley Cup playoffs after defeating the Detriot Red Wings 2-1 on Sunday.
“We missed the playoffs last year,” Ovechkin said Tuesday. ”So it’s kind of a very exciting time for us.”
In the team’s last road series Ovechkin, a Russian, also became the franchise’s all-time leading goal scorer after a 5-4 shootout victory against the Montreal Canadiens on April 2.
The Ride of Fame series began in 2010 as part of the 100th anniversary of the Gray Line tour service. Ovechkin was selected based on an algorithm that included of his personal achievements, social media presence and fans’ votes. The bus runs as part of City Sights DC’s tour service.
Ovechkin is the second professional ice hockey player to be inducted, after New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, and the second Washington-based athlete behind quarterback and sportscaster Joe Theismann.
Other athletes who have been honored in the Ride of Fame include Joe Namath, Mariano Rivera, and Reggie Jackson.
After unveiling the front decal and writing a message on his personalized seat, Ovechkin and several fans who won an online competition rode the bus around the block for its inaugural journey, chanting “let’s go Caps” as they turned in for the home stretch.
“This is pretty cool that this many people showed up,” said Ashley Tremper, a 25-year-old paralegal assistant from Deale, Maryland.
With one regular season game left, the Capitals are now playing for home-ice advantage in the playoffs. Saturday’s regular-season closer will be against the New York Rangers.
Optimism was high among the some of fans at the event:
“Oh it’s going to happen. This is the year,” said Matt Fridell, a 25-year-old technician from Midlothian, Maryland and passenger on the bus.
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