Alex Ovechkin never bought into Washington Spirit, report says

NHL star Alexander Ovechkin never bought into the Washington Spirit despite being touted as an investor, Sportico reported Thursday.

Ovechkin was introduced last May as an investor in the NWSL club. The Washington Capitals star appeared at a press conference via video and discussed his connection to women’s sports, particularly through his mother Tatyana Ovechkina, a two-time Olympic basketball player for Russia.

The investment, however, never came to fruition. The paperwork was never finalized in the months after the announcement, Sportico reported.

Ovechkin agreed to buy into the Spirit when the team had a valuation of roughly $13 million. In February, minority owner Michele Kang bought the team for a record $35 million, which means the hockey star missed out on a swift return on investment.

Ovechkin and his wife Nastya Ovechkina were set to join a group of more than 40 new investors, including Chelsea Clinton, Jenna Bush Hager and Briana Scurry. Former U.S. Sen. Tom Daschle – who played a role in the sale of the Spirit to Kang amidst the team’s ownership dispute – was also a part of that group.

In the weeks and months that followed the initial announcement of Ovechkin’s investment, the team grew embroiled in an ownership dispute and scandal that resulted in the sale of the team. But despite the turmoil, Ovechkin was the only one of the more than 40 new investors that did not write a check, according to Sportico’s sources.

The Washington Spirit, Kang and Alex Ovechkin’s agent David Abrutyn declined to comment.