Alex Ovechkin wants to lift the Stanley Cup again, but for now he’s willing to settle for an occasional bowl.
“I love cereal,” the Washington Capitals star told ESPN. “My kids love cereal. Breakfast is the most important meal every day.”
Ovechkin made sports history last season with the “Gr8Chase,” when he broke Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career goals record (894) with a total that now stands at 897. That moment is now being commemorated in a way that combines Ovechkin’s on-ice achievement and his love of cereal.
Ovi’s Great Crunch, a limited-edition cereal celebrating Ovechkin as the NHL’s goal-scoring king, will be exclusively available at Giant Food stores in the Washington, D.C., area. It’s billed as a “classic cornflakes-style cereal” featuring Ovechkin in the franchise’s “screaming eagle” jersey. The product hits store shelves Friday, priced at $2.99 for a family-size 18-ounce box.
There’s another important connection to Ovechkin’s record chase: A portion of proceeds from cereal sales will support The GR8 Chase for Victory Over Cancer, an initiative Ovechkin helped start last season to raise awareness and funds for pediatric cancer research.
Ovechkin has donated money for every goal he’s scored since No. 885 and will continue to do so through the rest of his career. Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Capitals, has matched those contributions. The funds raised help support the V Foundation via Hockey Fights Cancer and will eventually establish the Alex Ovechkin GR8 Chase Pediatric Cancer Research Grant.
“I think it’s very important, if you have a chance, to help kids and people to make them happy,” Ovechkin said.
This isn’t Ovechkin’s first cereal collaboration with Giant Food. In 2019, they released Ovi O’s, with boxes selling out within days.
Ovechkin has always been a cereal guy, even back in his younger NHL days when he was living with then-Capitals general manager George McPhee.
“Back then, my English was not that good. I didn’t know how to pronounce ‘cereal,’ so I used my Russian language,” Ovechkin said. “He was not understanding. He was laughing. But he knew what I meant.”
Ovechkin is entering his 21st NHL season, each with the Capitals.
