Photo Credit: Washington Capitals Photograph
Scoring a date with a member of a national team is nearly impossible, but that didn’t keep young Ann from Maryland from asking out….get this, the CAPTAIN and forward of an 8-time division championship team. On September 11, 2014, an excited, 10 year old Ann, a student and Capitals fan with Down syndrome from Maryland, kept herself calm and collected as she skated up to Captain Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals at the Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, VA.
Almost 60 other players on the ice during an American Special Hockey Association skating session, Ann decided to nonchalantly approach the five-time All-Star and ask him out on a date to grab some sushi and possibly play kickball later on. Unfortunately, due to time restrictions after the event, Ovechkin had to decline, BUT what she would get would be even bigger than she had asked for. The captain, who describes her as the “cutest little girl” he’s ever seen and with the help of the team, he decided to bring her to the Capitals preseason game against the Carolina Hurricanes at the Verizon Center a little bit less than a month later to make it up to her.
On the big day, October 5, 2014, Ann and her parents arrived at the Iceplex to meet with Ovechkin and hang out in his stall. He even let her try on his helmet that she says “smells like Ovechkin’s head.” Upon entering the locker room where the family had been spending their time before the game, Ovechkin presented the family with tickets to the game and even offered to drive her to the Verizon Center. As if that wasn’t amazing enough for the youngster, he even gave her a personalized Jersey along with flowers. Minutes later, he asked her if she would be interested in going on a date for sushi after the game, to which she adorably responded “I might have to check with my parents.”
Just like any true gentleman, Ovechkin drove her to the Verizon Center as promised and helped her out of his truck as he told her to meet him on the Capitals bench to view the pregame warmup. Her and her family had the opportunity to watch the game in Ovi’s Crazy 8’s seating section, where they got to see the youngsters date score a goal in the Capitals’ 5-2 victory. After the game, she was fortunate enough to have her complimentary jersey signed by some of her favorite players teammates and told defenseman, Nate Schmidt, to tell Ovechkin to hurry up. He passed on the message to his teammate and when he came out, he introduced Ann as his “new girlfriend” to the teams coach, Barry Trotz.
Just like any man who wants to impress his date, Ovechkin pulled out all of the stops and arranged for the two of them to have their small date in the owner’s lounge for a variety of sushi, where her parents served as the chaperones. Ovechkin was so happy the date went well and was so glad he could put a smile on her face. This is a date that she will have a memory of forever and that no other date for sure will top. Ann is described as a “bundle of joy,” and a “terrific and funny kid,” that “Ovi,” as Ann calls him, was honored to spend time with.
