Ryan Leonard on Alex Ovechkin as a leader and captain: 'He's always talking to me on the bench. He's a great, great captain.'

"He's still himself, like you guys see him. But when it's game time, it's game time, and he'll help you,"

"He's always talking to me on the bench, look[ing] at stuff in between periods, computer, iPad on the bench. You guys know he sits in the one spot, so you're going to see him at some point. But yeah, he's always talking to you, and he's a great, great captain."

"Just hanging out with those guys, it was pretty cool,"

"Ovi wanted to see where I went to school, so [we] went there for probably 30 minutes to an hour, just to show him, and he loved it."

Ryan Leonard joined the Washington Capitals in April and played 17 combined regular-season and playoff games as a 20-year-old winger. Alex Ovechkin provided mentorship through on-bench coaching, reviewing video and using an iPad between periods, and offering leadership during game situations. Leonard participated in team outings in Boston, including a sushi meet-up and a viral bar stop where Ovechkin sang a goal song, and showed Ovechkin his college campus. Leonard was a 2023 first-round draft pick and described Ovechkin as approachable, focused, and instrumental in helping him adapt to the NHL environment.

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