HELSINKI, FINLAND - JULY 16: U.S. President Donald Trump (L) and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands during a joint press conference after their summit on July 16, 2018 in Helsinki, Finland. The two leaders met one-on-one and discussed a range of issues including the 2016 U.S Election collusion. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin for setting the NHL record for goals in a career.
“I congratulate you on your outstanding record,” Putin said. “You have surpassed legendary masters in the number of goals scored in National Hockey League regular-season games.”
In setting the new record, Ovechkin passed Hall-of-Famer Wayne Gretzky. It was Ovechkin’s 895th career goal.
Ovechkin set the record on Sunday afternoon in a game against the New York Islanders. Despite Ovechkin’s goal, the Capitals lost 4-1.
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Ovechkin has been a strong supporter of Putin. In 2017, he set up a social media movement called PutinTeam in an effort to have Putin reelected.
Ovechkin has previously stated that his support of Putin is not a political statement but a support for his country.
Ovechkin and Putin have not talked as of yet, but Putin reportedly “highly values Ovechkin’s sporting result.”
With Ovechkin’s goal on Ilya Sorokin, Ovechkin has now scored on 183 different goalies in his career.
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