Ovie (The Bulldog) officially retires from Washington Capitals game appearances

Ovie is finally hanging up his stick.

No no, not that Ovie.

Ovie The Bulldog happens to be the other Ovie with the NHL’s Washington Capitals. Caps fans would be barking mad if Alexander Ovechkin, the team’s superstar captain who also goes by Ovi, was calling it quits.

But yes, Ovie The Bulldog, has taken his last away game with his beloved team after 50 games on the road over the years.

So for his finale, the 10-year-old pooch marked his territory, so to speak, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

LIVE FROM @TMobileArena IT’S HOCKEY O’CLOCK! #LETSGOCAPS The Final Road Game, thank you everyone. Licks & slobber for anyone who has ever stopped and said hi. Special guest @BarkAndreFurry #10thSeason #CapsBulldog #CapitalsBulldog pic.twitter.com/qPHU7jtUqr

— Ovie the Bulldog (@OvietheBulldog) February 17, 2020

The dog made the “bittersweet” announcement on social media in advance of the Presidents’ Day game against the Golden Knights.

“‪I have been crashing outside games for close to a decade & after much discussion, it’s time to slow down & rest some,” the dog’s humans posted. “This is part my current health battle, part my age (10) which is very senior for a bulldog, these trips take a lot out of me and I don’t have the stamina to hang out like I used to.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

‪#Caps fans, bittersweet to announce that today’s #CapsVGK (2/17/20) game will be my last road trip game. I have been crashing outside games for close to a decade & after much discussion, it’s time to slow down & rest some. This is part my current health battle, part my age (10) which is very senior for a bulldog, these trips take a lot out of me and I don’t have the stamina to hang out like I used to. The two factors combined don’t allow for me to plan further than where I am today. Some days I have energy & others I just want to lay on the sofa & eat cookies & sleep all day. I have loved every game I’ve sat outside of, loved meeting the thousands & thousands of fans, getting infinite scratches & pictures. I’ve enjoyed Two epic #Caps road trips! The 2015 #WinterClassic and THE MOST EPIC #StanleyCup Road trip in 2018, been to several away arenas for the Kings, Ducks, Coyotes, Rangers, & Golden Knights. I wish I could have seen more. Overall; I’ve attended roughly 50 games. I’ve got a pretty good record in DC and a LOUSY record at other arenas but it was always about seeing the fans. Thank you for always saying hi, giving me love and hanging out before the games. This isn’t a retirement, just a change to my appearances. I’ll still be watching games on TV and cheering like I always have ‪So, today, my last appearance outside an arena game. Stop by and say hi! It’ll be a GR8 day for a hockey game! Love you all ❤️❤️‬ ‪Ovie 🐾🐾‬

A post shared by Ovie the Bulldog (@oviethebulldog) on Feb 17, 2020 at 8:42am PST

So now it’s cookies and naps on the sofa for Ovie.

But it’s not exactly teaching an old dog entirely new tricks.

“This isn’t a retirement,” the Instagram posted continued, “Just a change to my appearances. I’ll still be watching games on TV and cheering like I always have ‪So, today, my last appearance outside an arena game.”

But the show did go on, albeit sleepily, for this one last hurrah.

Here you can see Ovie hanging in Las Vegas with Bark Andre Furry, the canine companion of the Vegas franchise, so named after Marc-Andre Fleury, the team’s superstar goalie.

LIVE FROM @TMobileArena IT’S HOCKEY O’CLOCK! #LETSGOCAPS The Final Road Game, thank you everyone. Licks & slobber for anyone who has ever stopped and said hi. Special guest @BarkAndreFurry #10thSeason #CapsBulldog #CapitalsBulldog pic.twitter.com/qPHU7jtUqr

— Ovie the Bulldog (@OvietheBulldog) February 17, 2020

It’s Hockey Knight in Vegas!
**** Matinee Edition ****@Capitals
vs@GoldenKnights
Ovie’s farewell to the road!
LET’S DO THAT HOCKEY!
~ Bark🐾#GoKnightsGo #VegasBorn #WSHvsVGK #Gr8tness pic.twitter.com/HFUMyHrWCT

— Bark-André Furry (@BarkAndreFurry) February 17, 2020

And so, enjoy your well-earned time off-ice after six long years on the road.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Today is my last road trip game. Come out and say hi! Some of the highlights from the last 6 years of #Caps hockey trips. Of course I didn’t include any of the Caps games when I lived in MD, those were home games 😉❤️🐾🐾 1)Anaheim 2) LA 3) 2015 Winter Classic 4) Anaheim 5) LA 6) 2017 All Star Game in LA (Saffy’s 1st game) 7) Phoenix 8) Las Vegas Santa Ovie & Elf Saffy 9)Las Vegas 2019 w/ @barkandrefurry 10) 2018 Stanley Cup Washington, DC #CapsBulldog #CapitalsBulldog

A post shared by Ovie the Bulldog (@oviethebulldog) on Feb 17, 2020 at 8:33am PST

What a great record.

This v good boy is retiring from road trips! Thanks for the support through the years @OvietheBulldog 💕 if anyone deserves to lay on the sofa and eat cookies all game, it’s you! Love you boy. pic.twitter.com/wEfT4iY0Jw

— NBC Sports Capitals (@NBCSCapitals) February 18, 2020

Oh, and sadly for Ovie — and Ovi — the Knights beat the Caps 3-2.

Photos Ovie the Bulldog/Twitter