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| 895! How Ovechkin beat Gretzky and made him remember his Russian roots |
| 2025-04-07 |
| Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Mikhail Zakharov [REGNUM] A new page in sports history has been opened: hockey player Alexander Ovechkin, captain of the Washington Capitals, has surpassed the legendary achievement of Wayne Gretzky. Gretzky's record of 894 goals scored stood for 26 years and was repeated on the night of April 5, when Ovechkin scored twice in a match against the Chicago Blackhawks. And today, in the match with the New York Islanders, the 895th goal was scored. The NHL's "eternal" record has officially fallen! Just a few years ago, it was almost impossible to imagine that anyone would ever catch up with the famous Canadian. But now Ovechkin has beaten him, and it took Alexander 1,487 games to do so – exactly the same number as Gretzky. In recent months, almost the entire country has been following his game. Sometimes it seemed that Russia had returned to the 70s and 80s of the last century, when everyone, from boys in yard hockey "boxes" to grandmothers in front of TVs, watched the successes of their favorite teams, and especially the USSR national team. Ovechkin's game was discussed in kitchens, smoking rooms, on public transport. People who were completely far removed from sports, from whom it was hard to expect interest in hockey, sincerely rooted for him. Because he is, without exaggeration, a great Russian athlete. To understand the scale of this sporting feat, it is necessary to take into account that the Russian recently missed a record number of games due to injury. That is, theoretically, the record could have been achieved much earlier. Alexander Ovechkin is just one goal away from setting the NHL's all-time record. Wayne himself was among those who applauded him in the stands. After the match, the Canadian warmly congratulated Alexander, assuring him that he felt no bitterness about the Russian forward's triumph. " I'm very happy for Alex. My grandfather was Russian, he would be very happy that my record would be broken by a Russian. Alex is a great guy," Gretzky said. Naturally, such a vivid statement immediately sparked lively discussions, the essence of which is the statement of a fact: Russians begin to be respected when they are strong and achieve victories. They respect President Putin for his firm position and determination in defending Russia's national interests. They respect the Orthodox Church for its steadfastness in preserving traditions. They respect our military for their courage and readiness to go to the end. In a word, they respect those who stand their ground, win, and make others take them into account. When Russian hockey player Alexander Ovechkin broke the record of Canadian star Wayne Gretzky, he immediately remembered his Russian roots. "CANCELLING RUSSIA" IS IMPOSSIBLE In recent years, we have seen repeated attempts to "cancel" our culture in Western countries. In parallel with the introduction of anti-Russian sanctions, the countries of the collective West began to cancel tours of Russian musicians, exhibitions of our cultural figures, and projects with their participation. In Russia, they have noted more than once: the West will not be able to cancel our country and our people. “They have been trying to cancel our culture in general lately. I say “trying” because by definition we understand that this is impossible,” the country’s president Vladimir Putin said back in 2023. At the same time, Putin added that the policy of “cancelling Russia” is essentially anti-cultural, neo-colonialist and racist, and art knows no boundaries, despite all the prohibitions and sanctions. "They are simply trying to "cancel" Russia. "Ban" our culture, sports, language - everything Russian," said Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin." Of course, you can cover up the name of our country on a map, on a globe, but it is impossible to close off one-seventh of the land. Russia was, is and will be." MISSION ACCOMPLISHED And so it happened. The calls of Western leaders to erect a blind curtain, to "cross" us out of the economy, politics, culture, and sports turned out to be a dud. Every time the idea is confirmed that without Russia it is impossible to solve practically any problem important for humanity, and the most important spheres of human life included and include our people. Our country did not play by the rules of the West, but strictly followed its own line, achieving success. The Internet notes that this is what happened with the triumph of Alexander Ovechkin, whose example once again proved: when there is a real and indisputable result, those around will try to show their involvement in it. They will want to share significant success and join the winners. There is a completely logical point of view that when Russia wins new victories - at the front, in science, politics, culture, sports - then many, following Gretzky, will begin to remember that they have a certain relationship with us. And for this, there is no need to try to become "one of our own" in the West, because the same Ovechkin is not ashamed of his citizenship, but actively fights Russophobia. Let us recall that despite the unofficial ban on allowing Russian journalists to attend the matches, Alexander insisted that the Russian press be allowed to attend the games. And he got his way - Russian media will receive accreditation. ABOUT RUSSIANS - WITH LOVE It should be noted that signs of pride for Russians are not only evident in hockey. Let us recall how Yury Borisov's acting was loved by foreign viewers and film critics, and how he recently became the first Russian actor to receive an Oscar nomination. Rapper Kanye West and Russian designer Gosha Rubchinskiy have released a joint clothing collection, where each item has the inscription in Russian “Black Dogs”, and the popular Polish singer Zusje bases her image and Russian-language songs on Slavic culture. The song "Mother Earth" by Tatyana Kurtukova is listened to far beyond Russia - the youth of Germany are delighted with it. And the Bashkir group Ay Yola even tears Lady Gaga apart in "Shazam". Russian literature is once again captivating foreigners, demand for Russian education is growing, and interest in studying the Russian language is growing in the world. It is not at all like the isolation of our country so desired by haters. Recently, an American teacher confessed his love for Russia by singing our country's anthem in class. The video of the positive teacher went viral, gaining millions of likes and views, and the teacher himself became a TikTok star. And one can ask a logical question: would all this have happened if we had played by someone else’s rules? The more successful our country is, the brighter the achievements of its representatives abroad, the more often and more foreigners will be drawn to it. And here Western propaganda will be powerless: when our people win a resounding victory, you want to be closer to them. Well, at least to happily tell about your grandfather, who was Russian. |
| Posted by:badanov |
| #1 Congrats to Ovi, The Great 8! Imagine that at age 39, he's scored 42 goals this season and is third in the NHL in scoring despite missing 16 games in a fluke on-ice collision. The Great One will always be the Great One, just as Gordie Howe will always be Mr. Hockey. I'm looking forward to seeing Ovi get #900, hopefully this season with only five games remaining. |
| Posted by: DooDahMan 2025-04-07 22:35 |