Alex Ovechkin and Brad Marchand had a heartfelt moment of respect after the Florida Panthers defeated the Washington Capitals 6-3 at Amerant Bank Arena.
Outside the locker room, Ovechkin and Marchand exchanged autographed jerseys and took a photo together. Russian netminder Sergei Bobrovsky, who backed up Daniil Tarasov during the game, posed to Ovechkin’s right.
“LEGENDARY,” the Panthers tweeted on X.
The jersey swap was the second time Ovechkin has exchanged sweaters with another player (at least that we know of). Ovi also did so with Evgeni Malkin after the Capitals’ latest stop at PPG Paints Arena.
While the evening ended dreadfully for the Capitals as they notched their seventh loss in nine games, Marchand had a night he’ll never forget. The Little Ball of Hate registered his 1,000th career point, a primary assist on Eetu Luostarinen’s empty-net goal.
The 37-year-old forward became the first player in Florida Panthers history to earn their 1,000th NHL point while a member of the team, and the 102nd skater in NHL history to reach 1,000 points. Marchand and Ovechkin are two of the 10 active players in the NHL who currently have 1,000 points or more.
“It’s still very surreal. I never could have imagined being a part of two incredible franchises and being so blessed to play this game as long as I have,” Marchand told Katie Engleson after the game. “The milestones come from being a part of great teams and playing with great players. Definitely something I ever thought would be whatever happened, so I’m very surprised and very proud.”
He added, “I’m having so much fun with this team. We have such an incredible group. Incredible fans. I’m just really truly enjoying every day so to be able to do it here where I’ve really grown to love this place, and my family loves it, it just puts the cherry on top of everything that’s happened here.”
Marchand got to 1,000 by scoring 435 goals and notching 565 assists. Since first entering the NHL during the 2009-10 season, he has the sixth most goals and 12th most points. Marchand is a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Boston Bruins (2011) and Panthers (2025).