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Alex Ovechkin salutes Russia, USA with custom skates (Photos)
Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin will wear custom-painted skates during warmups for his team’s Thursday game and then auction them off with the proceeds going to charity.
According to the Capitals, Ovechkin is “the first NHL player to utilize skates in this fashion.”
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The skates will be worn before the Caps’ Russian Heritage Night against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Verizon Center. Here’s the explanation of the skates by the Capitals.
Ovechkin selected famed custom shoe artists Nick Avery and Polo Kerber to design the customized Bauer Vapor 1X skates, which feature flags of United States and Russia as well as Washington D.C.’s Capitol Building and Moscow’s St. Basil’s Cathedral.
Here is another picture of the skates:
According to ESPN.com, Ovechkin’s representatives contacted Avery and Kerber after seeing a story about the work the two designers had done with NFL players.
“Alex is a very creative person,” Ovechkin’s agent, David Abrutyn told ESPN. “It’s no secret that he’s passionate about where he’s from and where he plays, and these designs reflect that.”
The auction will benefit the American Special Hockey Association, a charity that has had a long relationship with Ovechkin.
Ovechkin donated the Honda Accord he was famously given at the 2015 NHL All-Star Game to ASHA. The Caps’ captain has hosted skating sessions with the organization for the past three seasons.
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The American Special Hockey Association was created in 2000 for players with developmental disabilities and gives people of all ages and abilities a chance to learn and grow by playing hockey.
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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper
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