Devils forward Miles Wood finally got his autograph.
Back in 2006, the Devils rookie was just an 11-year-old boy with dreams of someday playing professional hockey. Like many children do, he sent his favorite hockey player, Alex Ovechkin, a letter with a hockey card that he wanted autographed and a self-addressed stamped envelope so the budding Capitals star could return it.
He also issued a threat to Ovechkin.
As recalled by Randy Wood, former Islanders winger and Miles’ father, the preteen promised payback if the Caps star didn’t return the letter.
“If you don’t sign this and send it back to me, when I make it to the NHL, I’m going to give you a big body check,” Randy Wood recalled on a Devils Facebook broadcast.
Like most athletes, Ovechkin never sent Wood an autograph — until Thursday night.
Ten years later, the Devils traveled to Washington to play the Capitals. The 31-year-old Ovechkin has scored 16 goals this season and continues to marvel on the ice while the 21-year-old Wood is enjoying his first professional season in the NHL.
Before the game, Ovechkin heard about the story and sent a signed photo over to the Devils’ locker room.
“To Miles,” the inscribed autographed photo of Ovechkin reads. “Take it easy tonight!!!”
There was no violence between Ovechkin and Wood. The Devils beat the Capitals, 2-1, in a shootout at Verizon Center. But after the game, a freshly showered Ovechkin donned a red robe and posed for a photo with Wood and the autographed picture.
“When I was in warmups, I looked over at him and we smiled at each other type of thing,” Wood told The Record. “It was good to see him out there. He’s huge in person. That’s something I learned.”