MONTREAL -- As Alex Ovechkin got ready for an interview with ESPN.com Thursday morning at Bell Centre, he observed just how much he gets excited to play in this rink.

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"I love playing here," Ovechkin said.

Later, during the interview, I asked -- hypothetically speaking, just for fun, if he ever had to play for another team, would it be the Montreal Canadiens?

"Yeah, probably, if I would have a choice," Ovechkin said. "The culture, the atmosphere, the city . . . If I wasn't in Washington? Yes, here."

But, he stressed, he doesn't plan on ever playing for a team other than the Washington Capitals.

Still interesting to hear, nonetheless.