The State Duma assessed the reaction of Americans to Ovechkin's record goal

The record of Alexander Ovechkin, the Russian striker and captain of the Washington Capitals, is a global event. Dmitry Svishchev, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Physical Culture and Sports, expressed this opinion on Monday, April 7.

He noted that this is a big event for everyone. First, the countdown was turned on, and then everyone was happy when he equaled Wayne Gretzky's record.

"And now we have already started a new countdown. It is already necessary to count the gap from Gretzky. I don't think Alexander should stop there. He still has enough strength. The whole team is working together to ensure that he becomes a new record holder and a new benchmark for all young hockey players who play in the NHL," the deputy said in a conversation with Lenta.Ru .

The parliamentarian also noted Ovechkin's speech after the 895th goal was abandoned, when the hockey player said he was happy for Russia because "the Russian man is the first in the whole world in goals."

"He never hid, he was never shy about being a Russian. We saw his family at the stadium and saw how warmly the Americans greeted them. This suggests that the ordinary American people are actually kind to the Russians. The Americans greeted Alexander with an ovation. Of course, it's worth a lot," Svishchev added.

The parliamentarian said that Russia is very much waiting for Ovechkin's return after completing his career in the NHL. He expressed the hope that the hockey player would continue his life and work in his homeland.

Stormy ovation: Russian stars congratulated Ovechkin

The artists shared their emotions about the record of the legendary Russian hockey player.

Ovechkin scored his 895th goal in the NHL regular season on April 6 against the New York Islanders, breaking the record of four-time Stanley Cup winner Wayne Gretzky, who scored 894 goals, according to the website. kp.ru .

On April 7, Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Ovechkin on the historic record for the number of goals scored in NHL matches and noted that his achievement was a celebration for fans around the world, including in Russia.

Ovechkin was congratulated on the record by the TV channels of the National Media Group (NMG) and the leader of the musical group "Hands Up!" Sergey Zhukov. The performer dedicated a clip to the hockey player's favorite song from the repertoire of the musical group with a modified text dedicated to the record goal to the historic achievement.

In turn, the first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, Olympic champion Svetlana Zhurova said in an interview Pravda.Ru that the record was set in the context of the international boycott of athletes from Russia, because the NHL is a commercial league that pursues only the interests of sports and "it benefits from having all the best athletes in the world compete with it."".