Alex Ovechkin displays immense respect for retiring Marc-Andre Fleury in classy move after Capitals' loss to Wild

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin and Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury have had multiple battles over their careers, most notably in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the 2018 Stanley Cup Final.

While theirs was often a heated rivalry, especially since Fleury's days with the Pittsburgh Penguins, there's still mutual respect between the two players.

Fleury and the Wild beat Ovechkin and the Capitals 4-2 on Thursday. Ovechkin went viral for his classy gesture toward Fleury, who announced that it was his final NHL season.

Following the final horn, Ovechkin made sure that the rest of his teammates returned to the ice so that they could line up and shake Fleury's hand:

Fleury has played 1,048 games in his NHL career, going 573-339-95 with a 2.60 goals-against average, a .912 save percentage and 76 shutouts.

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Marc-Andre Fleury speaks about Alex Ovechkin's pursuit of Wayne Gretzky's goalscoring record

Before Thurday's game, Fleury made sure to acknowledge Ovechkin's pursuit of history.

He's less than 10 goals away from Wayne Gretzky's all-time mark of 894 career NHL tallies,. Fleury thinks that Alex Ovechkin is going to do it this season even as the schedule winds down.

"I think he's going to break the record this year," Fleury said. "He reminds me of young Ovi. He's really hungry, he wants to score goals. He's so happy after his goals. Without his injury, he would've finished the season with 50 goals. It's incredible. He always plays with his foot on the gas. He's a tremendous competitor.

"On the power play, Ovi is still always in the same spot," Fleury said. "He has such a heavy shot. It's so hard to read his slappers, and there's never a bad pass for him with his one-timers. He brings the puck in, no matter where the pass comes from. I'd say that his shot is still really hard to predict. He also has a big wrister; it's powerful, but the puck rises quickly as well."

During his regular season career, Fleury has allowed 28 total goals to Ovechkin over the years.

Among Fleury's victories over Alex Ovechkin in the Stanley Cup Playoffs was a thrilling seven-game series in 2009. Fleury's flashy glove save in the first period on Ovechkin in what was a scorless game set the tone for the rest of the contest.