Alex Ovechkin may not have his own Wheaties box, but the Capitals star is about to get his own limited edition cereal. Ovi’s Great Crunch, a bran flake celebrating the left wing’s goal-scoring record, will hit Giant grocery store shelves across the region beginning Friday, September 19.
This is actually Ovechkin’s second cereal collab with Giant, which is a sponsor of the Washington Capitals. In 2019, the grocer launched Ovi O’s, which sold out in days. (You can still find some boxes for sale on eBay.) This time, Giant has ramped up the initial production with nearly 100,000 boxes that will be available across its 163 stores in DC, Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware. Family-size, 18-ounce boxes will be priced at $2.99 and proceeds will benefit V Foundation via Hockey Fights Cancer to help fund pediatric cancer research—a pet cause of Ovechkin’s.
“The cereal will restock once during the process, so it won’t disappear within the first few days, we promise,” says Jon Arons, Community Relations Manager for Giant Food. Still, he expects it will go fast.
Arons says Giant gave Ovechkin multiple options for the type of cereal he wanted to be associated with, including a frosted version. But Oveckin wanted a bran flake, which is something he likes to eat.
Meanwhile, the Giant team seems to be working hard on their hockey analogies.
“It’s crunchy, it’s hearty, just like Alex. Very dependable and consistent,” Arons tells Washingtonian.
Also: “You know that you’re eating a crunchy cereal, just like when you see Ovi on the ice, you know he’s going to score goals against you.”
And, why not, one more:
“We had fun with him talking about how it’s crunch time. Time to get it back on the ice and keep on scoring.”
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.
