Last night was the long anticipated battle between hockey legend Wayne Gretzky and Alexander Ovechkin in EA Sports NHL20. The Great One vs Great 8 Showcase was streamed in front of thousands of viewers on the Washington Capitals Twitch page to raise money for Covid-19 Relief.
Game 1 was filled with nonstop action, with Team Gretzky peppering Braden Holtby the entire game. Holtby stood on his head in net, and kept Team Ovechkin in the game for the long run. This epic game 1 was everything a hockey fan could ask for. Team Ovechkin scored a game tying 5-on-3 powerplay goal with 2 seconds left in the third period, which lead to the overtime period. Despite their effort, Team Ovechkin found themselves on the losing side of things when Team Gretzky scored the game winning goal in overtime, and Ovi was not happy.
Gretzky-1 Ovechkin-0
After Game 1 the two sides decided to take a break for a few minutes. This is where things got pretty funny to watch, as the stream itself saw other NHL online players trying to join into the session. Gretzky and Ovechkin had no idea what was happening, and John “JohnWayne” Cassagranda had to step in and give them step by step instructions on how to join a new online session. Throughout this whole fiasco, Wayne Gretzky’s true dad colors began to show. Wayne had the xbox headset on and kept saying things like “Am I on mute?” or “Can you hear me now?”, I was cracking up the entire time.
Anyways, back to the action with Game 2. Gretzky switched his teammate and brought in his other son to play Game 2, and it might have been a bad move. The game was not as close as Game 1, and Team Ovechkin absolutely dominated winning the game 4-1, The highlights of this game included Ovechkin being the true video game lover he is. The guy was full of excitement anytime he or his teammate JohnWayne scored. There was one instance where Ovechkin’s character scored a goal and Ovi goes “Guess who?”, the commentary between the two throughout the game was spetacular to watch.
Gretzky- 1 Ovechkin-1
With the series tied, all eyes were waiting to see who would be crowned champion in Game 3. However, it was decided early on if the series was tied after the first 2 games, the deciding Game 3 would be a shootout. But again things change, and another audible was called. Gretzky was clearly fatigued and both sides decided to end the showcase in a tie. Disappointing for the fans watching and bragging rights, however Gretzky and Ovechkin decided to match half of the $16,000 raised for Covid-19 Relief, with each of them donating $8,000.
The Great One vs the Great 8 Showcase was a great way for fans to donate money, and see their favorite NHL stars faceoff against each other in a video game we all play. There may not have been a winner between Ovi and Gretzky, but the real winner of this showcase was the efforts to help those in need. If you’d like to help join the cause you can donate to the Monumental Sports and Entertainment Foundation or the Edmonton Food Bank.
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