Photo: NY Times

Alex Ovechkin has been an elite goal scorer since he first set foot in the NHL. He’s also has been one of the most feared body checkers in the league too. For instance, in Ovechkin’s first game as a Capital 10 years ago, he dislodged a pane of glass while hitting a Columbus Blue Jacket player behind the net.

In an interview with Graham Bensinger (which airs in its entirety this weekend), Ovechkin was asked what his biggest hit was.

“Probably [Jaromir] Jagr in Olympics,” Ovechkin said.

“I remember it was a tie game. It was tight. Semin fell on boards. Jagr take the puck and turn on the left side. I knew he [was] not gonna give a pass and he [was] gonna try to make a move on me. And [as] soon as I see he’s going left, I’m already ready to hit him. He just goes left, then right [and I] just kill him. It was probably the best hit in my life.”

Alex Semin would pick up the puck loose puck and needle a pass to Evgeni Malkin, who roofed a bad angled shot past Tomas Vokoun. It gave the Russians a 3-1 lead over the Czechs, which would hold up as the final score.

“That was the biggest thing of the hit,” Ovechkin said. “Malkin score goal. After that on the bench, coach came to me and said, ‘Just be careful because they probably gonna try to hit you more.’ I said, ‘Okay, I’m ready.'”

Photo: Donald Miralle