The Great One vs. The Great Eight Showcase final: Gretzky, Ovechkin battle it out in 'NHL 20'

Sam Jarden

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The Great One vs. The Great Eight Showcase final: Gretzky, Ovechkin battle it out in 'NHL 20' image

Wayne Gretzky and Alex Ovechkin announced in a joint press release last week that they'd be facing off in EA Sports' "NHL 20" to raise funds for two charities: the Edmonton Food Bank and MSE Foundation’s “Feeding the Frontlines” fund based in Washington, D.C. The matchup pitted the pair in a best-of-three series — that didn't go the distance — on Xbox with the games live-streamed on the Capitals' Twitch channel.

Ovechkin partnered up with John "JohnWayne" Casagranda, a member of the Capitals esports team and the runner-up at the 2019 NHL Gaming World Championship, while Gretzky teamed up with his 19-year-old son, Tristan. 

MORE: Gretzky looks forward to the day Ovechkin breaks his goals record

The two teams played out an absolutely epic first game, with Team Ovechkin scoring a five-on-three shorthanded goal with two seconds left on the clock to send it to overtime. In the end, it was The Great One and Team Gretzky taking the first game with a winner in the extra period. The second game saw Team Ovechkin dominate, with Gretzky ultimately opting to end things in a tie in, because, in the end, the real winners were the charities

Sporting News had all the action as The Great One and The Great Eight squared off. 

The Great One vs. The Great Eight Showcase: Final scores, highlights from NHL 20 matchup

(All times Eastern.)
 

9:20 p.m. — That does it for the Great One vs. The Great Eight Showcase. The series ultimately ended in a tie, but more importantly, thousands of dollars were raised for charity. 

Second Game

9:18 p.m. — 4-1, Capitals. Tom Wilson with two goals to give team Ovechkin an insurmountable lead — and what's this? Instead of a decisive shootout, the two sides have agreed to end things as a tie. Gretzky says he'll match half of the $16,000+ donations raised during the stream to support COVID-19 relief in the Edmonton area. He was clearly fatigued at the end there, which probably led to his decision to call things a tie. 

9:09 p.m. — The Oilers have cut the deficit in half, trailing 2-1 at the end of the first. They still need at least two more goals to prevent overtime. 

9:04 p.m. — Dmitry Orlov makes it 2-0 Capitals. A fan in the crowd holds up an "Orlov for Mayor" sign. Gretzky laughs sadly. If Ovechkin's team wins this game, it'll go to a decisive shootout to determine the winner. 

9:00 p.m. — Not a good start for the Oilers, as their goalie, Grant Fuhr, gifts it to Ovechkin on the doorstep.

"Guess who?" Ovi asks. Gretzky buries his head in his hands. He does not want to lose this game.

8:55 p.m. — Some technical difficulties have delayed the start of the second game a bit. In the meantime, Gretzky gets a call from his daughter, Paulina who is engaged to the former No. 1 ranked golfer in the world, Dustin Johnson. 

First Game

8:45 p.m. — Just like that, the Oilers score the game-winning goal. Gretzky is stoked, while Ovi is clearly not happy.

Gretzky has requested a two-minute break before the next game starts while the charitable donations have surpassed the $12,500 mark.

8:42 p.m. — Gretzky's running commentary has been easily one of the best parts of this game — and it's been a good game, too. Still tied 4-4. The format will be continuous overtime until someone scores.

8:34 p.m. — OVECHKIN HAS SCORED WITH TWO SECONDS LEFT ON THE CLOCK TO SEND IT INTO OVERTIME! Not only that, but his team was also shorthanded on a five-on-three. What an incredible first game this has been. 

8:30 p.m. — The Oilers have tied it! It was Kevin McClelland with the goal; even in "NHL 20," his 80s mullet is breathtaking. But then, THE GRETZKY'S SCORE AGAIN! Two goals in no time at all to snatch back the lead. Edmonton takes a one-goal lead with just two minutes left. 

8:27 p.m. — The Gretzky's think they just tied the game, but the referee waves it off due to goalie interference! Gretzky is furious.

"Where's the challenge button? How do I challenge?" he asks. The Capitals lead 3-2 with less than ten minutes left. 

8:25 p.m. — Just over a minute into the third, Ovechkin gives his team the lead with a Nicklas Backstrom goal.

"That's what I'm talking about, Backy!" he screams.

8:22 p.m. — Team Gretzky nearly scores on a five-on-three shorthanded breakaway but Holtby makes another big save. He's been outstanding so far this game. A few minutes later, Team Ovechkin ties it up once again via an Ilya Kovalchuk goal and it's 2-2 heading into the final period.

"I'm so tired," Gretzky quips.

8:17 p.m. — Gretzky's son, Tristan, is starting to get annoyed at his father's lack of faceoff wins.

"Faceoffs don't matter," Gretzky replies. "When you're 60 years old it's hard to see the TV." 

8:15 p.m. — Despite the Gretzky's continued domination, Ovechkin has tied it up on a breakaway. The score is 1-1 heading into the second period and then the Gretzky's score again just a few minutes into the second period; they now lead 2-1. 

8:10 p.m. — Gretzky has scored! And with who else but his own in-game character. Wayne is absolutely ecstatic.

"If you go to the net, good things happen," he says. The Oilers lead 1-0 with less than 6 minutes left in the first period.

8:09 p.m. — The puck drops and IMMEDIATELY the Gretzky's are all over Ovi and JohnWayne. Holtby has been forced to make at least three good saves to keep things scoreless.

"We're playing for the pride of all of Canada right now," Gretzky says.

Pregame

8:04 p.m. — The stream is now underway. Gretzky, who has a solid crowd of fans supporting him from his home, declares "I'm awful at this." Ovi, who was holding his son Sergei, initially leaves his microphone on mute before telling us he's excited. Gretzky says he's "so nervous." This should be interesting. 

7:41 p.m. — Not much is known about the gaming skills of either of these players. Ovi is apparently more of a "Call of Duty" and "Fortnite" fan, while Gretzky has played "NHL 20" before but only a handful of times. Ovechkin's teammate, John "JohnWayne" Casagranda, definitely has the upper hand in terms of skill over everyone else though. He was the runner-up at the 2019 NHL Gaming World Championship.

7:22 p.m. — Was there really any other choice?

7:21 p.m. — Did Ovechkin get any sleep?

Sam Jarden

Sam Jarden Photo

Sam Jarden joined Sporting News as an intern in 2020 and returned as a content producer in 2022. In between, he spent a year and a half at Turner Sports, managing the social media accounts for Bleacher Report, NBA on TNT, NBA TV and others. A proud UNC alumnus, he spends his free time following the Tar Heels, Buffalo Bills and Newcastle United FC, and has been known to occasionally hit the links.