Everybody thought Alex Ovechkin got a ship for his birthday, but it was actually a sheep

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin hit the big 3-0 Thursday, and somebody got him a ship! How cool, love ships.

Lots of questions about this! Like: Who got him the ship? Will he sail the ship from Russia himself, or will he hire sailors to sail his ship? Will it be primarily a sea ship, or will his ship sail rivers and lakes? How big is Alex Ovechkin’s ship?

Oh.

Here is Alex Ovechkin, apparently being gifted a sheep in a jersey on Russian television.

“Spaseeba,” he says.

The confusion stems from a press conference Ovechkin held at Capitals training camp Friday. Asked what he did for his birthday, the native Russian replied, in very clear English, “In Moscow, in Russia, they gave me a ship.”

“A ship?” a reporter asked. “Like a real ship?”

“Yeah, a real ship.”

Asked how big it was, Ovechkin shrugged, saying he hadn’t seen it. “I have a picture, but picture is one thing. If you see it in real life, maybe it’s different thing.”

“Alex, was the ship called the Ovechkin?” a reporter asked.

“Uh, no,” he said.

Happy belated birthday, Alex Ovechkin, and may you and your sheep enjoy many happy days together.

(h/t Japers’ Rink)