Alex Ovechkin explains the story behind the ‘Okay, I’m not Michael Jordan’ hoodie Courtesy of Devante Smith-Pelly

Alex Ovechkin A creature of habit, over the past few seasons he has been regularly spotted wearing the uniform around the rink Well, I’m not Michael Jordan hoodie.

It was previously thought that the hoodie was just a nod to Ovechkin’s favorite superstar athlete growing up, but it actually has a deeper meaning behind it, involving the 2018 Stanley Cup Champion Devante Smith-Pelley

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Before the Capitals’ game against the New Jersey Devils, Jackie Redmond let Ovechkin spill the beans during a nationally televised interview on TNT.

“We play football all the time before the game, just like a warm-up,” Ovechkin told her. “I think, five years ago, DeVoe or somebody hit the ball too high and I couldn’t jump, so I said ‘Well, I’m not Michael Jordan,’ you know?”

Ove then shrugged.

“Devo gave me this hoodie and I’m still wearing it,” I concluded.

So this hoodie was a gift from DSP. Awesome, right?

The football Ovechkin was referring to was the team’s pregame sewer ball game, in which players sit in a circle and kick the ball around to each other. The goal is to keep the football out of the ground. Indeed, the player is considered out.

The hoodie is just one of Ovechkin’s many subtly nods to gaming fashion. The Capitals captain has worn the same worn-out chest pads for much of his career, including a Lokomotiv Yaroslavl logo close to his heart. The badge pays tribute to the KHL team who lost their lives in a plane crash in 2011. Ovechkin also sewed his late brother Sergey’s name on his gloves and kissed them after every goal.