Russian users of VKontakte social network flooded the platform with posts about hockey player Alexander Ovechkin due to his record for goals in the NHL regular season, the social network reported.
Public interest in the Washington Capitals forward surged over the past two months: from February to March, the number of posts mentioning Ovechnik increased by 67 percent, and in April — by 226 percent compared to February.
Since the beginning of the year, Russians have made over 100,000 posts about Ovechkin on VKontakte — these have been viewed more than 232 million times and received around 5.1 million reactions, including over 475,000 comments.
More than 31,000 of the posts contain words of support and pride. Ovechkin is hailed as one of the greatest hockey players of our time, praised for his outstanding scoring abilities, and called an idol for young players and a future Hall of Famer. VKontakte also released special emoji statuses in honor of the Russian's record — users can add them to their profiles.
On April 6, Ovechkin scored his 895th goal in NHL regular season play during a game against the New York Islanders, breaking the record previously held by Canadian Wayne Gretzky. Immediately after, a special ceremony was held on the ice — Gretzky himself came out to congratulate Ovechkin, along with the Russian player's family.
Ovechkin scored 895 goals in 1,487 games over his career, making him the sole record holder in league history. Gretzky scored 894 goals in 1,487 games. According to Ovechkin, his record-breaking goal was scored against fellow Russian goaltender Ilya Sorokin.
The National Hockey League featured the Russian forward on the logos of its social media accounts.
Ovechkin addressed the Russian public after breaking Wayne Gretzky's record. He also thanked his mother and wife for their support.
"Thank you to everyone who gathered here! Thank you, Russia! We did it!” Alexander Ovechkin said.