NHL's Alex Ovechkin Praised for Good Deed in Canada

Washington Capitals' captain Alex Ovechkin now has another title: Good Samaritan. The NHL hotshot was out in chilly Edmonton on Friday ahead of a game with the Oilers when he spotted a homeless man wearing no shirt, CBC News reports. Ovechkin bought him a sweater, hat, and puffy blue jacket. The staff of a local café spotted the act of kindness and outed Ovechkin, tweeting, "Wow!" Ovechkin, who has 10 goals in 10 games this season, per NHL.com, was out shopping with a couple of teammates when he encountered the man, per the Washington Post. The Russian star's wife later posted texts she exchanged with her hubby in which he says (in Russian) that he felt sorry for the man. Asked about the good deed by reporters on Saturday, Ovechkin said the man, who didn't recognize him, was "a little in shock" by the gesture.

"If you see a guy almost naked out there with that kind of temperature, I think every human can do something, you know? Warm coat or a shirt or whatever," Ovechkin said, clearly ill at ease discussing it, per the Post. "We don’t have to concentrate on this moment right now," he added, per Sports Net. Abdul Qureshi of Boyle Street Community Services tells the CBC that Ovechkin made the man's day. "I was happy that someone was looking out for him, because not many people do that," Qureshi says. It wasn't the only good turn for Ovechkin. His three assists helped the Capitals come from behind to win Saturday's game 5-2, per CBC. (Sometimes giving someone gas money can get you happy payback years later.)