Video: Ovechkin drives the Zamboni in midtown Manhattan

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September 9, 2009

Fans chanting "Ovi, Ovi" while cramming the sidewalk on Sixth Avenue. Pushy police escorts threatening not to take anyone to the hospital if they’re run over. Yes, it must be Alexander Ovechkin (notes) of the Washington Capitals arriving at the NHL Store in midtown Manhattan today … by driving a Zamboni down the street:

Check out some fan’s-eye footage on YouTube.

This "only in New York" (as one woman put it) moment was part of the NHL’s grand media rollout of players this week, as well as part of Ovechkin’s cover-boy campaign for NHL 2K10. It was also, of course, another significant moment in the superstar’s storied past with wheeled transportation. With that, Puck Daddy presents "Other Great Moments in Alex Ovechkin Vehicular History."

• Last season, NHL cameras captured Ovechkin and teammate Mike Green (notes) taking a spin on a Verizon Center maintenance cart and nearly getting decapitated in the process. On the list of things at which Ovechkin excels, please add "massive metal door limbo."

• In March 2009, Ovechkin revealed his newest toy: a $250,000, 200-mph Mercedes SL65 AMG Black Series, one of only 350 made worldwide.

• Also in March: Ovechkin became the latest Washington, DC athlete to sing the Eastern Motors’ jingle in a commercial, while asking the crew for "shots vodka please."

• In July 2008, Ovechkin told Sport-Express in Russia that he has "accelerated to 165 miles per hour" and was once stopped for speeding near the White House. From a translated version of that interview:

"I’ve exceeded the speed limit in more than three times, for that in the United States a fine is not enough. They take your license and put you in jail. But I was lucky. The police recognized me and let me go. I gave them 10 tickets that I had with me to the Washington Capitals game."

You think Ovi just uses hockey tickets as currency here in the U.S.? "What was price? Here, two in mezzanine for Sabres game …"