Ryan Zimmerman may now mostly occupy first base, where most of his defensive work requires him limbering up and scooping balls out of the dirt. But when the Nationals icon first made the Majors, it was as a third baseman, where he regularly had to deal with screaming liners coming straight for his face. He had to call all those old skills to the fore on Wednesday.

That's because he went up against the Russian Machine himself, Alexander Ovechkin. The Nats star put on the goalkeeper's equipment -- which can weigh up to 40 lbs -- and got between the pipes to face the eight-time Rocket Richard Trophy winner (the award given to the player who scores the most goals in the NHL).

He even managed to make a few saves.

Of course, Ovechkin may have been holding a little something back. He won last year's hardest shot competition at the NHL All-Star Game with a 101.3 mph slapshot.

Sure enough, once Ovechkin turned it up a little, he snuck a few more past Zimmerman.

This is just the latest in the city-wide lovefest between the 2018 Stanley Cup Winners and the 2019 World Series champs. When the Capitals won it all, the Nats turned out for their Stanley Cup Finals games in full uniform, and then invited the team to celebrate at the ballpark afterward. This fall, the Caps were fully on the DC bandwagon and the Nationals' players partied hard -- and shirtless -- atop the Capitals Zamboni during their week of post-championship revelry.