Wayne Gretzky & 'tough cookie' Alex Ovechkin mentioned by Donald Trump during press conference with Canadian PM

Alex Ovechkin is preparing for Game 1 of the Washington Capitals' second-round series with the Carolina Hurricanes that begins on Tuesday night.

The Great 8 has had a remarkable year, scoring 44 goals in just 65 games at 39 years old to break Wayne Gretzky's all-time NHL goal-scoring record. He now hopes to cap it all off with his second Stanley Cup championship in a few months' time.

However, prior to beginning Round 2, Ovechkin was given an unexpected shoutout from a prominent world figure on Tuesday afternoon. The President of the United States, Donald Trump, mentioned both Alex Ovechkin and Wayne Gretzky when speaking to the Canadian Prime Minister at the White House.

Trump was asked a question about making concessions with Canada and went on to bring up Ovechkin in response. The Bulwark shared the clip of his comments on X (formerly Twitter).

"I love Canada. I have a lot of respect for the Canadians. Wayne Gretzky, the Great One... You happen to have a very, very good hockey player right here on the Capitals; he is a big, tough cookie too, just broke the record," Trump said.

Perhaps Donald Trump is not aware that Alex Ovechkin is from Moscow, Russia, not Canada. Gretzky, on the other hand, is Canadian, from Brantford, Ontario.

Alex Ovechkin has been watching other series while waiting to start Round 2

Just like all hockey fans, Alex Ovechkin has tuned into the wild Game 7s in the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

He and the Capitals have been off for almost a week since their Game 5 clinching win over Montreal. On Monday, he shared his thoughts on the craziness in recent days during his media availability. RMNB shared his comments in an article posted on X.

"Yeah, I watched yesterday, Winnipeg. Crazy. Crazy, yeah. This is the playoffs. One mistake can cost you everything," Ovechkin said.

Ovi had a great first-round series himself, racking up five points (four goals, one assist) en route to the Caps knocking off the Montreal Canadiens in five games. He's itching to get back into the action for a divisional matchup in Round 2.

Ovechkin and the Capitals host the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1 of their second-round series on Tuesday night in Washington. The puck drops at 7 p.m. EST at Capital One Arena.