Why Alex Ovechkin wanted to win a Honda Accord during NHL All-Star Weekend
Why Alex Ovechkin wanted to win a Honda Accord during NHL All-Star Weekend
Posted on January 27, 2015
Alex Ovechkin is a professional hockey player for the Washington Capitals, and a very good one at that. Thanks to his performance on the ice, he’s become a rather wealthy man. Currently, Ovechkin is in the midst of a 13-year, $124 million dollar contract, which is the largest playing contract in NHL. Yet, during the 2015 NHL All-Star weekend, Ovechkin was determined to win a Honda Accord. While we know all about the quality of the Accord, it was a little surprising to see a man of his financial standing so wrapped up in taking home one of the sedans that Honda was giving away.
His motives were far from selfish, but we’ll get to that shortly.
When teams were drafted for the 2015 NHL All-Star Game, Ovechkin lobbied to be one of the final two picks of the draft, because those players would each be awarded a brand-new Honda Accord. At the time, the players drafting weren’t aware of Ovechkin’s reasoning for wanting an Accord so badly, so as a joke, he was selected as in the 17th round.
So after Ovechkin’s plans of winning a Honda Accord during the draft were thwarted, he set out to win the 2015 NHL All-Star Game MVP, which also would have landed him a new Accord. But winning an MVP award on a rink full of the world’s best players is difficult, and the MVP trophy was given to Ryan Johansen of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
While Ovechkin wasn’t able to win a Honda Accord during NHL All-Star Weekend, his desire for a new car caught the attention of Honda, so the company talked with some of Ovechkin’s representatives and found out he wanted to car to give to the Washington Ice Dogs, a hockey team for kids with developmental disabilities.
Upon learning about Ovechkin’s intentions, Honda took action and donated an Accord for Ovechkin to give to the Ice Dogs. This heart-warming gesture on the part of Ovechkin and Honda makes events like the NHL All-Star Game even more special.