Washington edged New Jersey 2-1 in Friday’s contest, and once the final horn sounded, two famous families of hockey brothers crossed paths.
The image surfaced courtesy of an Instagram post from Nastya Ovechkina, who is married to the Capitals captain: there stood Luke Hughes and Jack Hughes beside her two young sons, Ilya and Sergei.
What made the shot stand out wasn’t only the two brother duos greeting one another — it was also a detail tucked into the frame. The siblings had each brought an autographed stick to the gathering. Luke’s signed lumber sits up front in the picture, with Jack’s positioned just behind it.
📸: Nastya Ovechkina via Instagram
Those sticks point to yet another memorabilia trade — the kind the Capitals winger has been organizing with other big names around the league all year, both out in the open and behind closed doors, as he assembles pieces for a museum dedicated to the game that he plans to establish back home in the Russian capital of Moscow.
Beyond hauling in sticks, Ovechkin has also famously traded sweaters with Anze Kopitar of the Kings, Evgeni Malkin of the Penguins, Brady Tkachuk of the Senators, Brad Marchand of the Panthers, and Canadian standout Marie-Philip Poulin.
Reflecting on those exchanges during an episode of his Wingmen Podcast, Matthew Tkachuk admitted the one downside of watching all the jersey swaps is the nagging worry that this could turn out to be Ovechkin’s final campaign.
The snapshot also gave the public its first look at Jack’s repaired smile since the Olympics wrapped. The star forward — who delivered the Golden Goal that earned the Americans gold — caught a high stick during the title game and chipped several of his upper teeth.
