Capitals celebrate Ovechkin's 1,500th NHL game with nod to old rap video

The Washington Capitals will always follow their captain into battle. Just maybe not a rap battle.

Capitals players had a little fun with Alex Ovechkin for his milestone 1,500th NHL game on Saturday. The team entered in front of a gigantic screen displaying a clip from the Great Eight's short-lived rap career.

Players wore white baseball caps and T-shirts with a photo of Ovechkin in action, not on the ice, but as a guest rapper on "Champion," a 2012 song by Russian rapper Sasha Belyi.

A giant 1,500 and the Capitals eagle logo flashed on the screen over video of Ovechkin in the music video.

Capitals forward Justin Sourdif took it one step further, donning a huge chain with Ovechkin's face dangling from it as he walked in.

For perspective, Sourdif was born in 2002, just three years before Ovechkin's stunning two-goal debut on October 5, 2005. When "Champion" came out, Sourdiff was 9 years old.

More so, Ovechkin had only played 475 NHL games at the time of the song's release. At that time he had 301 goals.

As he becomes the 24th NHL player to reach the 1,500th game milestone, he is also just -- appropriately -- the eighth to do it all with one team.