Photo: @Capitals

Everyone knows that Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin is The Great Eight of hockey, but today he and the Caps met another Great Eight of the sports world. 

Baltimore Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr. attended the Capitals’ practice this morning and then talked to the team in the film room afterwards.

Cal Ripken Jr. talking with the team from the film room. #Caps @RipkenBaseball pic.twitter.com/DD7xGslMop

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) November 22, 2016

Side note: Notice Alex Ovechkin’s shoulder packed in ice (front/center).

Ripken spent his entire Major League Baseball career with the Orioles and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007 and his uniform number is retired by the team.

View this post on Instagram

Special guest Cal Ripken Jr. here today watching #Caps practice. He'll be speaking to the team after they get off the ice. @ripkenbaseball

A post shared by Washington Capitals (@capitals) on Nov 22, 2016 at 8:10am PST

Ovechkin is a surefire future Hall of Famer once his career is over and his sweater number is likely to be retired once his playing days are over.

View this post on Instagram

An incredible honor to have Cal Ripken Jr. meet with the #Caps today. We'll never forget it! #IronMan #RockTheRed

A post shared by Washington Capitals (@capitals) on Nov 22, 2016 at 11:37am PST

SNAPSHOTS: Hall of Fame baseball player Cal Ripken Jr. watched some of practice and met head coach Barry Trotz before speaking to the team. pic.twitter.com/ZY0WroDaFJ

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) November 22, 2016

On a side note, a reporter from USA Today stood between the pipes and faced a number of blasts from Alex Ovechkin. Here is one that caught him square in the head, in slow motion:

Took a one-timer off the mask from Alex Ovechkin and lived to tell about it. pic.twitter.com/NVz3mzYbrX

— A.J. Perez (@byajperez) November 22, 2016

By Michael Fleetwood

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by NoVa Caps (@nova_caps) on Sep 16, 2016 at 10:22pm PDT