Editor's note: Sheng Peng is a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage. You can read more of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, and follow him on X at @Sheng_Peng.
Alexander Ovechkin’s connections with the San Jose Sharks run deep.
Famously, he grew up a Sharks fan, in the early 90’s.
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SIGN UP HERE “One of my teammates back then wear the hat with a shark, and we were like, ‘What is it?’ Because we don’t know the team. He said it’s the team over in San Jose, so I have a hat, I have a hoodie and like a jacket,” Ovechkin told the Washington Post in 2016. “Ulf Dahlen, I remember, my dad gave me a jersey of Ulf Dahlen.”
Owen Nolan was his favorite player.
My favorite player was Owen Nolan, who played in San Jose,” Ovechkin told Graham Bensinger in 2015. “He was physical, he can score goals, and he was a great leader.”
He’s long-time friends with Evgeni Nabokov.
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“I know him since he was playing for Dynamo,” Ovechkin said on Friday. “He’s a tremendous human being, and obviously a legend from here.”
Nabokov played on Dynamo from 1994 to 1997, before he came over to North America.