Tretyak welcomes Trump’s recognition of Ovechkin

Russian Ice Hockey Federation president Vladislav Tretyak welcomed recognition of Alexander Ovechkin’s achievements by U.S. President Donald Trump. Lenta.ru reported his reaction, citing TASS.

Tretyak described Ovechkin as one of the world’s strongest hockey players and noted that he was pursuing another NHL record. He said it was pleasing when leaders of different countries praised the Russian player.

Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov had earlier said sport was discussed during a conversation between Vladimir Putin and Trump. It was Ushakov who reported that the U.S. president had acknowledged Ovechkin’s contribution to world hockey.

The Washington Capitals forward has scored 929 NHL regular-season goals, the league’s all-time record. Including the playoffs, his total is 1006, placing him second. He is 10 goals behind Wayne Gretzky in that combined category.

Ovechkin signed a new one-year contract with Washington in early July. His existing regular-season record and pursuit of the combined regular-season and playoff record therefore concern separate statistical categories.