[WATCH] Alex Ovechkin celebrates his 40th birthday over video conference with family and friends back in Russia

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin turned 40 this week, celebrating the milestone with his wife, children and family members joining in from afar. On Wednesday, Ovechkin’s wife, Nastasiya Shubskaya, shared a series of Instagram stories capturing the special day.

The morning began at home, where Ovechkin posed with his two sons in front of gold “40” balloons and birthday-themed decorations. Later in the day, the celebration also went virtual with Ovechkin’s family in Russia joining the festivities via video call to wish him a happy birthday in real time.

A cake topped with sparklers was wheeled out for the NHL legend as friends and loved ones sang and cheered as the call projected on a large screen.

“Когда расстояние не мешает, чтобы быть всем вместе” (“When distance doesn’t stop us from being together”), Nastasiya captioned one of the clips.

Ovechkin is set to suit up for his 21st NHL season with the Capitals in 2025-26. Through 1,491 career regular-season games, the Washington captain has tallied 897 goals, 726 assists and 1,623 points, and has already broken Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal record last season.

Alex Ovechkin celebrated son Sergei's 7th birthday bash

Last month, Alex Ovechkin and his wife, Nastasiya, celebrated their eldest son Sergei’s 7th birthday in Moscow. Nastasiya later shared a carousel of photos on Instagram from the family gathering.

One picture showed Sergei beaming in a beige shirt and cap while opening gifts, while another captured him with his mom and younger brother Ilya posing in front of a colorful Minecraft-themed backdrop. A full family portrait featured Ovechkin, Nastasiya and their two boys all together, while another frame saw Nastasiya posing with just the kids.

“Happy birthday to our favorite boy! Be the happiest you can be🤍,” read the caption of the post, translated from Russian.

Nastasiya also posted a snapshot alongside her father, Russian film director Kirill Shubsky. The final photo featured a large family gathering around Sergei’s Minecraft-themed birthday cake, styled like a tower with his name displayed on it.

Just the week before, the Ovechkins hosted the annual Ovi Cup at Mytishchi Arena. The week-long event concluded with its traditional gala match featuring NHL and KHL stars alongside friends and family. Ovechkin’s squad won 11-7, with Evgeni Malkin scoring a hat-trick, while rising stars Matvei Michkov and Kirill Kaprizov also impressed.

But the night belonged to Sergei Ovechkin, who lit up the ice with four goals, including one set up by his dad and even skated in his father’s trademark “laces out” style. Alex Ovechkin chipped in a goal himself, and Nastasiya reposted several clips of Sergei’s highlight moments on her stories.

About the author

Anjum is an NHL reporter at Sportskeeda with over five years of professional experience in the spectator sports industry. Raised in Bahrain, Anjum grew up close to the Formula 1 and GP2 scene, but it was ice-sports that she truly had a chance to play at school.

Anjum prioritizes thorough research, fact-checking and verification of sources when reporting, and has worked for Oil on Whyte, Leafs Herald, the Nation of Blaugrana, Barca International Cules, FromTheBend, Last Word On Sports and NASA.

She got interested in ice hockey after watching the “MVP” trilogy as a second grader and has not gotten over the sport yet. Her favorite player is Alex Ovechkin, whose legendary one-timers live rent free in her heart. The iconic moment when Ovechkin reached 800 career goals with a hat trick in Chicago as the away crowd chanted “Ovi, Ovi” is probably her happiest memory from an ice-rink.

When not enjoying the game, Anjum can be found sailing, star-mapping or collaborating with fellow citizen scientists at NASA.

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Edited by Anjum Rajonno