McFarlane Toys to release Ovechkin figure honoring historic goal

There’s a lot that goes into Todd McFarlane’s sports figures, but one thing in particular is a priority for the artist as he designs each new model.

“Most of the players, you try and figure out what’s the thing that makes them, them,” McFarlane told NHL.com.

The comic book artist and avid sports fan was tasked with finding that thing for Alex Ovechkin, as he designed a special model to honor his record-breaking 895th goal.

The new figure he came up with, which is available for preorder now, shows Ovechkin on one knee celebrating a goal, sliding on ice with the commemorative 895 logo underneath.

McFarlane, 64, said he picked that specific pose by combining Ovechkin’s celebrations from his early years in the League with his more-recent celebrations, to signify the historic achievement that has spanned his entire career.

“He constantly celebrated a certain way, right?” McFarlane said. “So, we just wanted to take a little bit of who he was for his first 18 years in the League and then try and tie it to the moment he actually got the goal that set the record.”

McFarlane first came onto the scene in the 1980s thanks to his work on The Amazing Spider-Man comics, including co-creating the character Venom, one of Spider-Man’s most well-known enemies. He also created Spawn in the early 1990s, another successful comic book series for the artist.

In 1994, he founded “McFarlane Toys” and began creating sports figures in 2001.

Since then, he’s created countless figures showcasing professional athletes from all different sports. He stopped making hockey models in 2014 but started up again in 2023.

Out of all the figures he’s made, McFarlane said having the opportunity to commemorate special achievements like a championship or historic event “just elevates it.”

“We've done plenty of hockey players, but the ones that are holding the Stanley Cup? It's the same player, but he's got a Stanley Cup,” McFarlane said. “That's way more important to the fans of that player, of that team, of that province or state, wherever they're at. It's a bigger deal.”

McFarlane was born in Calgary, Alberta but moved to California when he was five years old. At 14, he moved back to Canada and found himself cheering on the Edmonton Oilers, despite being from Calgary. That might have had something to do with watching Wayne Gretzky play during his prime.

In the early 2000s, McFarlane became part-owner of the Oilers. During his time with the organization, he designed the team’s alternate jersey logo which featured a drop of oil inside the cog of a gear.

The logo was used from 2001 until 2007.

As for the sports figures, McFarlane takes pride in the level of detail in each of his models. He looks at every tattoo, missing tooth, and even the way athletes move their heads when making a play.

The Ovechkin figure means more to McFarlane than just another piece on the mantle. The artist who’s made a career out of drawing comic book characters sees it as a way for sports fans to recognize the real-life superheroes in sports.

“I'm hoping that any hockey fan now knows who's at the top of it, right?” McFarlane said. “That they'll just sort of see it and remind themselves why they follow sports, but hockey specifically, because there are these superheroes that play and entertain us and are marvels to look at.”