Alex Ovechkin sent shockwaves through the NHL world on Monday. Ovechkin announced that he will be retiring at the end of the season. Ovi has played 22 seasons in the NHL, playing long enough that current NHL stars grew up watching him. Minnesota Wild star Kirill Kaprizov would be one of those players.

Kaprizov, who is also from Russia, would have been just eight years old when Ovi made his NHL debut. Both of them played in the KHL and have shared a line during informal summer sessions with Russia. Now, Kaprizov is talking about the impending retirement of the Great 8, per a post from the Wild.

“Ovi knows everyone. Somebody doesn’t watch hockey and knows Ovechkin. It’s really enjoyable to see how he’s still doing this,” Kaprizov said.

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The two Russian stars have developed a friendship over the years. Kaprizov copied how Ovi laced his skates as a kid, including the yellow laces that Ovi wears. Meanwhile, Kaprizov wore an Ovechkin jersey in the 2022 NHL All-Star Breakaway Challenge, in honor of the Russian legend.

Kaprizov has also molded his play after Ovechkin, including his goal-scoring. He has scored 230 goals in his 397 NHL games. That is good for a pace of .58 goals per game. Meanwhile, Ovi has scored at a rate of .59 goals per game in his NHL career. Still, Kaprizov would need 699 goals to catch Ovi, and that is assuming the Great 8 does not score again.

Kaprizov will get to thank Ovechkin in person soon. The Wild visit the Capitals on November 1. The Capitals will then visit the Wild on March 7.