Alex Ovechkin’s 30th birthday on Thursday included a video-chat appearance on a Russian news show, where the host brought out a sheep on a leash dressed in a hockey jersey. Ovechkin laughed and grinned as the sheep pulled the host in high heels from one corner of the set to the other. The joke was aimed at Ovechkin’s last name, a part of which means “sheep” in Russian.
Pressed to name the sheep, he called it “Russia,” and said it would live at his parents’ country house. He had physical testing at Kettler Capitals Iceplex, and that night, he dined out with friends, then — with the first day of training camp looming on Friday — he went to bed early.