Alex Ovechkin had the best-selling NHL jersey during the 2024-25 season as he chased and broke the all-time goals record
Alex Ovechkin had the best-selling NHL jersey during the 2024-25 season, according to the league’s PR.
The Washington Capitals captain finished in the top spot ahead of 2023 first overall pick Connor Bedard, Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid, and Ovechkin’s longtime rival, Sidney Crosby, who rounded out the top five.
The NHL Shop sold nearly every Ovechkin jersey he’s worn during his career, including the team’s red home and white away sweaters; a 50th anniversary jersey featuring the Screaming Eagle on black; and multiple retro jerseys made by Mitchell & Ness, including both of Ovechkin’s rookie year jerseys and all three outdoor game sweaters.
The Great Eight possesses perennial popularity due to his personality and superstar status in the league, but his goals chase drew exponentially more attention to both him and the Capitals last season than in previous years.
Ovechkin passed Gretzky with his 895th career goal on April 6. That day, he set a Fanatics all-time single-day merch sales record for an NHL player as fans purchased memorabilia to commemorate the history-making moment.
Entering the 2025-26 campaign, however, Ovechkin slipped to no. 2 on the best-selling jerseys list, per Fanatics. Fellow Russian star Kirill Kaprizov overtook him during the offseason, likely boosted by his record-setting eight-year, $136 million extension signed with the Minnesota Wild in late September. The St. Paul-based club also launched throwback sweaters to honor its 25th anniversary.
Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin sat third, followed by Utah Mammoth left winger Clayton Keller and Boston Bruins right winger David Pastrnak.
Ovechkin’s jersey should remain a hot commodity as he plays out the final season of his five-year contract with the Caps, with speculation about his potential retirement continuing to swirl.
Ovechkin registers 1,625th career point with primary assist on Anthony Beauvillier’s game-winning goal
Alex Ovechkin went his third consecutive game to open the season without a goal, but he still managed to be the difference in the Washington Capitals’ 1-0 victory over the New York Rangers, Sunday.
The 40-year-old winger had the primary assist on Anthony Beauvillier’s second-period tally that ultimately ended up being the game-winner.
With seemingly everyone in the building thinking he would shoot, Ovechkin utilized an indirect shot that Beavillier deftly redirected past Rangers goaltender Jonathan Quick from the side of the net.
“Beau-tiful,” the Capitals wrote on X.
The tweet wasn’t the only pun inspired by the goal.
“O-Beau!” said one teammate in the locker room, probably John Carlson, after Spencer Carbery saluted “O and Beau’s… big f***ing play.”
Incredibly, the primary assist was Ovechkin’s 1,625th career point in the NHL and his 728th apple — second in franchise history only to Nicklas Backstrom’s 762. Ovechkin’s stat line now reads: 897 goals, 728 assists, and 1,625 points in 1,494 games.
“One of those plays where you’re just trying to get open around the net,” Beauvillier said to reporters of his goal. “[Ovi] didn’t have a lane to the net, (so he) [found] my stick, and one of those where you’re happy it goes in. It’s a good play. It’s a good look by O there… a great read by him.”
Ovechkin now has two points — both primary assists — in the Capitals’ first three games of the season. He’s also fired 8 shots on goal and has 18 individual shot attempts — second only to Jakob Chychrun (22).
Eagles Insider Calls Out Costly Trade for Underused Playmaker
In the blink of an eye, the Philadelphia Eagles‘ strong start to the 2025 campaign has vanished into thin air. After winning their first four games of the season, the Eagles have since suffered losses to the Denver Broncos and New York Giants, raising several big questions about the state of the team moving forward.
Philadelphia is always making moves, and while some of those moves have reinforced the team’s roster, others aren’t viewed as necessary. One of the front office’s early-season trades involved swinging a deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars for running back Tank Bigsby, but after barely being used in his first five games with the Eagles, the decision to acquire him was put on blast by a team insider recently.
Eagles Insider Bashes Team for Confusing Tank Bigsby Trade
Entering the 2025 campaign, Bigsby seemed to be set to split carries out of the Jaguars‘ backfield with Travis Etienne Jr. In his second season in 2024, the former third-round pick racked up 766 yards and seven touchdowns on 168 carries, and with Etienne struggling last year, that seemed to open the door for him to earn a bigger role this season.
Instead, Etienne starred in the team’s Week 1 win, and with rookie running back Bhayshul Tuten also in the fold, that led to the Jags sending Bigsby to the Eagles just one game into the new campaign. Considering how Philly gave up 2026 fifth and sixth round picks for Bigsby, it seemed like they had big plans for him, even though they already had Saquon Barkley, Will Shipley, and AJ Dillon at their disposal.
That hasn’t really happened, though. Bigsby has yet to play a single offensive snap for the Eagles, being used only as a kickoff returner, and even then, he got benched due to his struggles in that role during the team’s loss to the Giants. Considering Philly’s investment in Bigsby and his overall lack of usage, the team was called out by Zach Berman of The Athletic for trading for him in the first place.
“It’s only been five games, hardly enough time to make an evaluation for a third-year player with another year on his contract,” Berman wrote. “But the early returns suggest the front office and the coaching staff didn’t have the same vision for the player, or there was a misevaluation of the player. Either way, the Eagles will need more to justify the cost of the deal.”
What Should the Eagles Do with Tank Bigsby?
It’s still very early into his tenure with the Eagles, but to this point, Bigsby has been a complete wash. Not only is he struggling on kickoffs, but he can’t crack the offense and get touches over Shipley and Dillon behind Barkley. Considering how the offense appears to be in need of a spark, though, getting Bigsby some touches actually may not be the worst idea.
Philadelphia doesn’t really have any incentive to give up on Bigsby, unless they can find a trade partner for him, but even then, they have virtually no shot of getting a similar return to the one they just gave Jacksonville. The Eagles should be working on finding a way to get Bigsby involved on offense, because if they can’t, this trade will likely end up going down as a big loss for them.
