SEE IT: Ovechkin, Semin reunite in Russia for Orlov’s birthday originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
It’s a Capitals reunion in Russia!
Washington D-man Dmitry Orlov celebrated his 30th birthday Friday and decided to host a birthday bash in his hometown of Novokuznetsk, Russia. Alex Ovechkin came along to celebrate Orly’s big three-0, along with another blast from the past of Capitals lore: Alexander Semin. The three of them even joined in a karaoke battle and celebratory dance circle. You can check out the gleeful dance circle by checking it out here on Instagram.
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Orlov, Ovechkin and Semin shared the ice 60 times for the Capitals back in the 2011-12 season, which ended up being the latter’s final season in the nation’s capital after seven years in red. Semin bounced around the KHL for a year before returning to the NHL for four seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes and Montreal Canadiens. After leaving the NHL for good in 2016, he went back to the KHL, where he’s played for HC Vityaz for the past three seasons.
Semin became a fan favorite during his tenure in D.C., with elusive puck-handling ability and a knack for scoring electrifying goals. He put up 408 points (197 goals, 211 assists) in 469 games for Washington.
Ovechkin is obviously still in the middle of a legendary career in Washington. He ventured back to his home nation of Russia along with Orlov to celebrate the defenseman’s birthday, reuniting with Semin, his teammate of six seasons. Caps fans might remember the Russian duo’s patented handshake which they would complete multiple times a game on Washington’s bench. Ovechkin couldn’t have been happier to see Semin again, taking note of it on his Instagram page with the caption "With my brother @alexandersemin28."
Dmitry Orlov is now on the latter half of the six-year, $30.6 million contract he signed with Washington back in 2017. He was recently protected by the squad from the NHL Expansion Draft, in which the Seattle Kraken ended up snagging goalie Vitek Vanecek from the Caps.
Ovechkin and Orlov will likely be teaming up again in Washington for the 2021-22 season, pending a new contract for the Great 8. Semin will try to continue his career in the KHL, where he currently is an unrestricted free agent.
