Ovechkin not taking latest All-Star Game experience for granted
Capitals forward will be making 8th appearance, first with sons
The 2023 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend, including the game at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida, on Saturday (3 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, CBC, SN, TVAS) will be the first where the Washington Capitals left wing will have his sons, Sergei, 4, and Ilya, 2, with him along with his wife Nastya.
"The kids are going to be there," Ovechkin said. "So, yeah, it's going to be fun."
It will be the eighth All-Star Game that Ovechkin plays in, the most among players participating in the game this season. The 37-year-old was selected five other times and did not participate (2012, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2022), including when he tested positive for COVID-19 three days before the festivities in Las Vegas last season.
He is looking forward to going again this season.
"Unfortunately, sometimes you can't go because of lots of different reasons," Ovechkin said. "But if you have a chance to go there, it's a good opportunity to be an all-star and play with the best players, have some fun, enjoy the time, enjoy time with the boys."
Ovechkin has 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) in his seven previous All-Star Games. His fondest All-Star Game memory remains his first in 2007 at American Airlines Center in Dallas. Playing on the Eastern Conference team, Ovechkin scored a goal in a 12-9 loss to the Western Conference.
Ovechkin, Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby and Florida Panthers center Eric Staal (then with the Carolina Hurricanes) are the only remaining active players from that game. Eastern Conference teammates Brendan Shanahan, Marian Hossa, Martin St, Louis and Martin Brodeur, and Roberto Luongo, Nicklas Lidstrom, Joe Sakic and Teemu Selanne from the Western Conference team went on to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
"Lots of great players," Ovechkin said. "We stay together, go out, have some fun. It was great."
A lot has changed in the five years since Ovechkin last played in the All-Star Game in 2018 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. Crosby (fifth appearance) and Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Johnny Gaudreau (seventh) are the only other players among the 11 on the Metropolitan Division team who participated in that game. And this is Gaudreau's first time in the Metropolitan after six appearances with the Calgary Flames on the Pacific Division team.
At the time, Ovechkin, the No. 1 pick in the 2004 NHL Draft, was 20th in League history with 588 goals. He went on to lead the Capitals to their first Stanley Cup championship later that season.
Now in his 18th NHL season, Ovechkin is second on the NHL goals list with 812 after passing the late Gordie Howe (801 goals) when he scored his 802nd against the Winnipeg Jets on Dec. 23. He trails only Wayne Gretzky, who holds the League record with 894.
Ovechkin has not slowed down this season, leading the Capitals with 32 goals in 50 games heading into their game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on Sunday (5 p.m. ET; NHLN, TSN4, NBCSWA, SN NOW).
"He's been a representative (at the All-Star Game) because he's been an elite player in the League his whole career and even still now," Capitals coach Peter Laviolette said. "… He's been a star player in the League since he got here. I still think it's an honor to be selected and represent your team. I've been to them. I think they're a lot of fun. It's a good time for the players that go, for their families, for the fans, for the sport."
Ovechkin has had family with him at previous All-Star Games, including his parents and brother, but he had yet to become a father when he played in his most recent one in 2018. Sergei was born later that year, on Aug. 18, 2018, and Ilya on May 27, 2020.
Sergei and Ilya were at Capital One Arena with Nastya when Ovechkin scored to pass Howe and have attended a few other Capitals home games this season. Sergei has joined his father on the ice after the Capitals' practices few times this season, too.
At the All-Star Game, Sergei will get an up-close look at many of the biggest names in the NHL.
"It's great," Ovechkin said. "He's excited. He's going to be happy. It's a great time."
It will be fun for Ovechkin, too. Capitals forward T.J. Oshie recalled how much it meant for him to share his experience at the 2020 All-Star Game in at Enterprise Center St. Louis, Missouri, with his daughters, Lyla and Leni, who were 5 and 3, respectively, at the time.
"To have your kids there is super important," Oshie said. "Ovi is on a different level than all of us, but most of the time, you're just their dad. They look at you as a hero because you're their dad, not because you're good at hockey or you're on posters or whatever it is. So, I think for the kids to go and to share that accomplishment with you is super important for your bond with them and for them just to be a part of big moments in your career."
Ovechkin said he doesn't know yet who he will play with in the All-Star Game or what events he will participate in the 2023 NHL All-Star Skills presented by DraftKings on Friday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS). He won the hardest shot competition in 2018.
Ovechkin has seen other players' children be part of the All-Star Skills with their fathers in the past, but he is unsure if Sergei is ready for that.
"I don't think he has skills yet," Ovechkin said. "So, I don't know."
Having seen Sergei Ovechkin in action, Oshie believes he has enough skills to hold his own.
"I'm sure he does if they get him out there," Oshie said. "I know no one else gives a harder high five and a harder fist bump, so I'm sure he'll be making his rounds around the room. I know he's got his bobblehead collection at home, so he'll get to see a lot of those people in real life, which I think will be cool for him.
"He's a hockey boy through and through, so I think he's going to have a great time."
