Associated Press photo
Nearly two decades ago, I was fortunate enough to attend Alex Ovechkin’s NHL debut. After drafting the Russian star first overall in 2004, the Washington Capitals (and their long-suffering fans) had to endure 12 months without hockey, thanks to a labor dispute that wiped out the entire 2004-05 season.
Let’s just say Ovechkin was worth the wait.
It took him almost no time to make his presence felt. In the opening minutes of his first game in D.C., he leveled an overmatched Columbus skater with a hard, legal check into the boards behind Washington’s goal. Ovechkin later scored twice in a 3-2 win over the Blue Jackets.
Apparently, a lockout is the only thing that can stop Ovechkin, now age 39, from scoring. His hat trick in Sunday’s 7-3 win over Edmonton gave him 882 career goals, just 12 shy of Wayne Gretzky’s league record. With 25 regular-season games remaining, that mark that once seemed unreachable is now within clear reach.
While few observers see Ovechkin as an equal to Gretzky as an all-around offensive threat — Gretzky’s 1,963 NHL assists put him 719 ahead of second-place Ron Francis (and 1,249 clear of Ovechkin) — even the Great One has admitted that the Capitals’ captain may be the best sniper the league has ever seen.
Ovechkin is also cementing his case as the best professional athlete ever to put on a Washington uniform.
You could make an argument for Hall of Famers Darrell Green, Walter Johnson or Wes Unseld. Like Ovi, Green and Johnson each spent two decades in D.C., and all of the aforementioned stars won at least one championship.
But a major record like the one Ovechkin is chasing could put him over the top — especially given his elite production at an advanced age. And if he can help the Capitals win a second Stanley Cup title in eight seasons, it could be harder to argue against him.
For comparison, Gretzky retired at age 38 after 20 NHL seasons (plus three in the rival World Hockey Association). He managed just nine goals in his final campaign with the New York Rangers.
Ovechkin’s hat trick Sunday gave him 29 goals in just 41 games this season. (He missed 16 games with a leg fracture.) He ranks seventh in the league in goals; he’s played at least 10 fewer contests than the players ahead of him and at least a decade older than all but one (Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele, who’s 31).
Even more impressive, Ovechkin has helped the Capitals post the NHL’s best record (38-11-8, 84 points) entering play Monday.
Before the season, some observers wondered if his pursuit of Gretzky might inhibit the development of Washington’s younger players. Instead, likely NHL coach of the year Spencer Carbury has deftly mixed veterans like Ovechkin, John Carlson and Tom Wilson with 20-somethings Dylan Strome (40 assists), Aliaksei Protas (23 goals) and Connor McMichael (20). And goalie Logan Thompson (25-2-5) has been a godsend.
Ovechkin’s early-season injury actually could turn into a blessing in disguise. Barring another setback, he could enter the playoffs with fresher legs than in recent seasons, thanks to a lighter regular-season workload.
The spotlight will get brighter as Ovechkin gets closer to Gretzky, and you can be sure the Capitals will try to maximize his scoring opportunities while also pursuing the Presidents Trophy. If anyone is able to handle the scrutiny, though, it’s Ovechkin.
Here’s one wish: If he does break the record, let’s hope it doesn’t come on an empty-net goal like his third score on Sunday. All goals count, but it would be more meaningful to make history with one of his patented slap shots than to fire into a vacant net after the opponent pulls its goalie. (If you’re wondering, Ovechkin already holds the NHL record with 64 career empty-netters; Gretzky had 56.)
If nothing else, Ovechkin’s quest has provided relief from the depressing political news in D.C. lately. And he shows no signs of slowing down.