Ovechkin legacy cemented with Capitals approaching next NHL milestone

WASHINGTON --Alex Ovechkin has a two-day break in his quest to pass Gordie Howe for second on the NHL goals list before going back on the road when the Washington Capitals face the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, TSN5, RDS, NBCSWA, SN NOW).

Ovechkin remains at 800 goals, one behind Howe with 801, after failing to score during the Capitals' three-game homestand that concluded with a 4-3 overtime victory against the Detroit Red Wings on Monday. The stars appeared aligned for Ovechkin to at least tie Howe against the Red Wings, the team with which "Mr. Hockey" played 25 of his 26 NHL seasons, with his sons, former NHL defensemen Mark and Marty Howe, in attendance. But despite having a host of quality scoring chances, including a backhand that went off the post in the second period, he remained without a goal since reaching 800 with his hat trick against the Chicago Blackhawks on Dec. 13.
Still, the atmosphere inside Capital One Arena was electric each of the past three games. The crowd rose to its feet each time the 37-year-old left wing had a chance to score in anticipation of his next milestone goal, demonstrating the impact he's had during his 18 seasons in Washington.
"This is about, kind of, legacy and importance," Capitals owner Ted Leonsis said last week. "What he's done is just make us relevant."
As Gordie Howe, who died in 2016 at 88, was an ambassador for hockey, Ovechkin has been a pied piper for the sport in Washington and beyond.
"He has brought the sport of hockey and the 'Caps' name to a whole different level in this city," said Mark Howe, a 2011 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee who played 16 seasons in the NHL. "As a scout, I scouted him for a lot of years, and I said there's very few people that I saw have the 'Wow factor.' … He's fun to watch. It's been great the loyalty that's been shown between the organization and himself."
That loyalty was cemented with a five-year, $47.5 million contract Ovechkin signed to remain with the Capitals on July 27, 2021. The contract was structured, primarily, with the intention of Ovechkin playing his entire NHL career with the team that selected him with the No. 1 pick in the 2004 NHL Draft.
"I'm always saying to stay on one team for all of my career is my goal," Ovechkin said earlier this season. "Obviously, I'm lucky enough to be able to do that kind of stuff. So, it's pretty cool."
But the secondary purpose of the contract was to give Ovechkin the number of seasons he believed he needed to chase down Wayne Gretzky's NHL record of 894 goals, which will be squarely in his sights after he passes Howe.
"That was him," Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said. "I pushed hard for a three-year deal and then kind of let's see what happens from there, and he was pretty adamant about five. He wants to play five and I think he picked five for a reason, in his own mind what he thought he could accomplish within that time period."

Ovechkin helped the Capitals win their first Stanley Cup in 2018, when he also won the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and he has repeatedly talked about being driven to win the Cup again. But his chase of Howe and, eventually, Gretzky's record, and wanting to break it with the Capitals, will be as much a part of his legacy as however many championships he wins.
He already owns the record for most NHL goals with one team after surpassing Howe's previous mark by scoring his 787th with Washington against the Arizona Coyotes on Nov. 5.
"I think that is the big story for a guy, Day 1, who said can we build this trusting relationship and his loyalty, and his durability have just been spectacular," Leonsis said. "And that's the record that probably will never be broken, to have that many goals just with one team. And now we've become numb to every day there's something. [On Nov. 30] he broke Gretzky's record of most goals on the road (by scoring his 403rd) and I was thinking how many players have that many goals in their career?"
Leonsis marveled after the NHL Board of Governors meeting in Palm Beach, Florida last week about how each of the League's national television partners -- ESPN, Turner Sports and Sportsnet - made presentations that began with images of Ovechkin.
"Trust me, 10 years ago you wouldn't come to these meetings and he's first there," Leonsis said. "And it's been his consistency, and I wouldn't say there's been any flash in the pan. We're not doing marketing programs and the like. We're on national TV 18 times, I think, This year, he's ratings gold. We don't get paid for that. That's good for the League."

The "Ovechkin effect" on the growth of the hockey in the Washington area has been well chronicled. According to USA Hockey's annual report, there were 12,856 registered players in Washington (422), Maryland (6,450) and Virginia (5,984) in Ovechkin's rookie season of 2005-06. That number reached 21,487 in Washington (1,295), Maryland (10,080) and Virginia (10,112) in USA Hockey's most recent report in 2021-22.
That growth is among the reasons why Ovechkin, a Moscow, Russia native, was selected in 2019 to receive the Wayne Gretzky International Award, which was established by the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 1999, to honor international individuals who have made major contributions to the growth and advancement of hockey in the United States.
Ovechkin's impact in the NHL record book could be equally significant by the time he retires. Ovechkin has closed to within 94 goals of Gretzky and has shown no signs of slowing down this season. He leads Washington and is eighth in the NHL with 20 goals in 34 games this season, which has him on pace to score 48 for the season.
"It's pretty incredible," MacLellan said. "He keeps doing what he does. He enjoys it. He keeps producing. We keep talking the same talking points, but he's having fun, it looks like, and I think he's motivated too to see what he can do here production-wise."
And though Ovechkin's contract will have three seasons left on it after this one, he might not need that many to pass Gretzky.
"I know," MacLellan said, laughing. "I think it's funny because a few years ago it was, 'Nobody will catch Wayne.' And now it's, 'He's going to get 1,000.' That's crazy."
NHL.com Columnist Nicholas J. Cotsonika contributed to this report.