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Ovechkin signs long-term endorsement deal with Nike

Tampa Bay Lightning v Washington Capitals - Game Two

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 01: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals celebrates with Brooks Laich #21, Alexander Semin #28, and Nicklas Backstrom #19 after scoring the tying goal in the third period against the Tampa Bay Lightning during Game Two of the Eastern Conference Semifinal during the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Verizon Center on May 1, 2011 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

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With all of the Alexander Semin bashing lately, at least one of the Capitals’ Russian snipers is having a good offseason. Rumors broke this afternoon that Alexander Ovechkin was signing an endorsement deal with Nike. Originally, it was thought that Ovechkin’s news conference schedule for Tuesday was to announce the endorsement deal—but now it looks like the press conference is unrelated to tonight’s news.

The Washington Post’s Tarik El-Bashir confirmed the news with Ovechkin’s agent, David Abrutyn on Thursday evening:

“I can confirm that Alex has signed a long-term global partnership with Nike. Alex is going to be supporting all of the products that Nike makes — apparel, footwear, performance apparel, casual wear, accessories and other elements of the Nike family of products. So he will be wearing their performance product when he’s playing and practicing, when he’s training and in his lifestyle.”
“From a lifestyle standpoint, everybody knows that Ovi has a unique fashion sense.”

This isn’t Nike’s first foray into the NHL. Hockey fans might recall the memorable Nike commercial that featured Markus Naslund and Ilya Kovalchuk going mano y mano. In the 1990s, there were players who sported the swoosh on the ice; including Sergei Fedorov and currently Steven Stamkos as signed up with the Oregon-based shoe company.

It’s understandable why Nike would target Ovechkin for a long-term endorsement deal. Aside from Sidney Crosby (who is locked into a deal with Reebok), there isn’t a more recognizable hockey player on the planet. We’re talking about a guy who just had the worst season of his career and still managed 32 goals and 85 points last season to lead the Capitals. The man has averaged 50 goals and 102 points per season over his 6 year career. Sometimes fans get a bit callous to his regular season dominance since he’s entered the league.

The next step for Ovechkin (and now his marketing partner) is a deep run in the playoffs. Even though the Washington captain was arguably the best Capitals player on the ice during last year’s playoffs, the fact remains that they haven’t gone past the Conference Semifinals since 1998. For the new sponsor to get full return on their endorsement deal, they’ll want maximum visibility for their product wearing player. In the world of the NHL, there’s no bigger stage than a deep run in the playoffs.

As long as we don’t have to see any commercials with a disembodied head in a locker (or bowling bag), everything should be fine.