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If one were to ask sports fans in Washington, D.C. to pick one professional athlete that has been as beloved and revered in the last 20 years as Washington Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin, chances are the name of longtime Washington Nationals infielder Ryan Zimmerman would be the answer they’d receive.
The first-ever draft pick of Washington’s Major League Baseball franchise, Zimmerman hung up his cleats after 17 seasons (Ovechkin just completed his 17th professional season in the NHL) as a member of the Nationals in February of this year, and on Saturday had his uniform number 11 retired by the Nats, becoming the first player in the history of the team to receive the honor.
The Nationals went all-out to celebrate the man known affectionately as “Mr. National”, and as part of their tribute, enlisted the help of Washington Capitals’ forwards TJ Oshie and Tom Wilson to pay tribute to the longtime face of the franchise.
Oshie, who has spent seven seasons as a member of the Capitals, congratulated Zimmerman on “an amazing career”, and said, “I’m super proud of ya.” Wilson called Zimmerman a “legend here in D.C.”, and expressed the privilege of getting to know the 2005 fourth overall pick during his time in Washington.
Full remarks can be seen below:
CONGRATS FROM THE BABES ❤️@TJOshie77 // @tom_wilso@Capitals // #ThankYouZim pic.twitter.com/H0wNLS1cAU
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) June 18, 2022
The close relationship between the Capitals and Nationals became apparent during the former’s run to the 2018 Stanley Cup. After capturing their first championship, the Capitals kicked off a summer to remember with a visit to Nationals Park.
The following year, the Nats captured their first World Series title, receiving the same support from the Caps in return, and making an epically memorable visit to Capital One Arena on November 4, 2019.
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Zimmerman also made an appearance at MedStar Capitals Iceplex in January 2020, suiting up in goal during practice.
While playing two completely different sports, the Capitals and Nationals have provided their many fans in the DMV with countless memories in the 17 years since both “The Great Eight” – Ovechkin – and “Mr. National” made their respective debuts in 2005 and delivering two championships in two years was perhaps the icing (no pun intended) on the cake in the careers of two of Washington’s most-beloved professional athletes.
By Michael Fleetwood
Zimmerman and Ovechkin are nearly a year apart in age. Zim was born on September 28, 1984. Ovechkin was born on Sept 17, 1985. (Coincidentally, my firstborn falls between them in age.)
I really love the bromance between the Caps and Nats. I hope it continues for a long time.