Alex Ovechkin's Capitals teammates embrace record chase: 'You want to pass it to him'

WASHINGTON Perhaps even more than the awe, the gratitude, the fun, the can-you-really-believe-we-get-to-be-a-part-of-this sensation, its the sound thats going to stick with Dylan Strome.

The way the droning din of 18,000 people suddenly merges into a unison crescendo of audible anticipation a split second before anything even happens.

Advertisement These days, nobodys looking at their phones when Alex Ovechkin is on the ice.

Just about every fan in the building is locked in on the Washington Capitals No.

8, involuntarily moving toward the edge of their seats every time the puck hits his stick.

Or even if he just finds some open ice.

Yes, sometimes, the sound even beats the pass.

And not just at Capital One Center in Washington.

At Madison Square Garden in New York.

At TD Garden in Boston.

At PNC Arena in Raleigh.

Anywhere the traveling circus stops for the night.

Long Island, look out, its coming your way on Sunday, with Ovechkin just one goal from owning the NHLs career record .

The juice, the life that comes alive in the rink when he gets the puck its pretty incredible, Strome said.

You can tell a lot of smart hockey fans have been watching, because when he gets the puck in the right spots, theres a little more of a buzz.

Its been cool.

Seems like every game is becoming more and more of a spectacle.

The road rinks are incredible.

But theres still no place like home.

After Ovechkin scored the 893rd goal of his career one shy of Wayne Gretzkys record on his second shift Friday night against the Chicago Blackhawks, the crowd reacted like it was a game-winner in the playoffs.

And the buzz stayed at that level throughout the night.

Late in his third shift, when he was ready to come off the ice, a chipped puck nearly got through to him in the offensive zone far from the net but was intercepted by a Blackhawks player.

The crowd reacted with an exaggerated OHHHHH that usually only accompanies shots off the post.

They thought he tied the record with a power-play goal in the third period, but it actually went in off Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy.

OVECHKIN AGAIN! GOAL 894!!! HE'S TIED THE ALL-TIME GOALS RECORD! #Gr8Chase : @NHLNetwork : @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ https://t.co/4KjbdjVctF pic.twitter.com/JZ3OZKTfGn NHL (@NHL) April 5, 2025 So when Ovechkin did get the puck across the line to tie the record early in the third period in vintage Ovechkin fashion, on a power-play one-timer from his office in the right circle off a John Carlson feed the ground shook in the District.

And with each successive scoring chance a breakaway in the third period, four shot attempts in the final 80 seconds the crowd leapt and yelped and covered their heads in mock agony and laughed and clapped and cheered.

Ovechkin didnt get the record to himself just yet, but nobody left Capital One Arena feeling short-changed.

Advertisement When guys that are larger than life like him anybody else going for anything else, probably wouldnt have happened, Carlson said.

But the greats of the greats of the greats just find a way to do it and do it in theater and in style.

Everyone in the building wants to witness history.

That goes for Ovechkins teammates, too.

But they can do one better.

They can be a part of history.

And everyone wants to have their name on the scoresheet next to No.

895, to be the next Marty McSorley and set up the record-setting tally.

If you have a chance to pass it to him, you want to pass it to him, Capitals winger Tom Wilson said.

Theres a lot of intelligent players.

If theres a play thats open, most guys will try and make the right play.

But if hes open or theres a chance that you can get the puck to him, obviously youre going to try at this point to set up one of the best goal scorers.

Once you get it into his hands, usually good things will happen.

So yes, Ovechkins teammates have been sometimes forcing the puck to him these days.

And no, theyre not going to apologize for it.

Its usually a pretty sound strategy, anyway.

Oh, for sure, said Strome, who has assisted on 20 of Ovechkins 41 goals this season, and a team-high 46 since joining the Capitals in 2022-23.

I think Ive been doing that for the last three years, to be honest.

But yeah, when hes open, youre trying to give it to him a little bit more.

But at the same time, hes usually open.

He wants the puck in those areas, and its our job to get it to him.

Gretzky twice on Friday said that all the attention on his chase of Gordie Howes record during the 1993-94 season was hard on his teammates, but the Capitals seem to be loving every second.

The distinct smell of beer in the postgame locker room was proof of that.

Ovechkin, while acknowledging the magnitude of the moment and calling the chase great for hockey after the Caps morning skate on Friday, repeatedly said his focus was on the game.

Maybe his has been, but his teammates have been outright focusing on the record.

Theyre not even pretending otherwise.

Washington is all but locked into the top seed in the Eastern Conference, and Strome said Ovechkins pursuit of Gretzkys record has lent meaning to games that otherwise wouldnt mean a heck of a lot.

Advertisement The record is, quite frankly, Washingtons top priority right now.

For the whole franchise, really.

Each goal is announced over the public-address system as Ovechkins 893rd goal...

or 894th goal...

as a giant triple-digit sign gives way to a higher number.

Its a lot less stressful and a lot more fun than last season, when the Capitals were scratching and clawing just to get into the playoffs as the eighth seed.

It would be totally different if it was like (last season), Strome said.

Obviously, were trying to win the hockey game.

Were trying to play (well), were trying to win.

The chances of him getting an empty-netter are pretty high if were winning the game, too, so thats obviously good.

But its been so much fun.

Every time he gets the puck, we all want him to score more than anything.

Its been crazy, its been fun, and its been a lot easier because weve been winning.

Being on the other side of the ice can be just as energizing.

The 31st-place Blackhawks suffered their 12th loss in 13 games Friday night, but Ovechkins chase gave them something to play for, too.

As much as the Capitals want to be a part of history, their opponents desperately want to avoid doing so.

Were playing spoiler, veteran winger Pat Maroon said before the game.

And (besides that), its going to be awesome.

Theres going to be a lot of people in the stands and its going to be cool.

Weve got a lot of young guys in here that get to play in front of Wayne Gretzky, arguably the best player in the world.

And a lot of people with stardom are going to be here to try to witness something special.

Our job is to ruin it for them.

The Chicago roster is loaded with players approximately half Ovechkins age, and there was a palpable sense of excitement to go up against him.

Thatll be the same for virtually any roster in the league, with the Islanders up next.

Hes a legend, 19-year-old Artyom Levshunov said.

Its incredible.

When I was growing up, I was watching him a lot.

Even now, still, hes my favorite player on the ice.

Its unreal to play against him.

Advertisement That awe never seems to go away, whether you were born a few weeks into Ovechkins NHL career, like Levshunov, or whether youve been his teammate for a dozen years, like Wilson.

Seeing how casually Ovechkin has handled the chase has only elevated him in his teammates eyes.

The amount of pressure, its bigger than hockey, Wilson said.

The entire game of hockey is on his shoulders right now.

Theres guys like me or my teammates that feel pressure on a nightly basis, (but) this is next level.

To be able to handle that, and continue to perform and continue to lead this team to be a top team in the league, and just be such a fun teammate and such a fun guy its remarkable.

The ticking clock looming over the chase the regular season ends in less than two weeks has added some juice to the chase, not that it really needed it.

It would be pretty anticlimactic if Ovechkin entered next season stuck on 894, with a full season ahead of him.

But the Capitals dont seem terribly concerned about that happening.

Were long past if; its now when.

One player after the game, without a hint of hyperbole in his voice, said that Ovechkin would be at 900 before the season ends in 11 days.

More than 18,000 fans, a couple dozen teammates and Gretzky himself were all frankly a little surprised it didnt happen on Friday.

Two goals for a 39-year-old player almost seemed like a disappointment.

The record is simply inevitable at this point.

Well, yeah, come on, Strome said.

Id hope so.

But even at the beginning of the season, it would be like is it gonna happen? And then he had such a good start and it was for sure gonna happen.

Then he got hurt and it wasnt gonna happen.

And now its back on to gonna happen.

Its something that you cant really explain because none of us have ever been through something like this.

Were enjoying every moment of it.

The chase now moves to Long Island for a Sunday matinee.

Then the Capitals are off until Thursdays home game against Carolina.

The last chance for Ovechkin to break the record at home would come next Sunday against Columbus.

But whether its in Washington or anywhere else, it might just sound the same.

(Photo of Alex Ovechkin, Jakob Chychrun and Andrew Mangiapane: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images).

This article has been shared from the original article on theathleticuk, here is the link to the original article.