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| When Alex Ovechkin was drafted #1 in 2004, the thought was of him bringing a Stanley Cup Championship here to D.C.. That he did along with shattering NHL records along the way, and looks like nothing is going to slow him down. |
D.C. sports fans, when anyone asks, who/what do you think of when you say face of D.C. sports???? Many would say the Washington Redskins, due to the 3 Super Bowl titles and how the town goes crazy when they win. Unfortunately it's been a long time since the glory days of old and looks like the youth movement/rebuild is finally underway. Some would say RFK Stadium another fixture of the D.C. sports scene and reminder of the glory days I just spoke about. My whole life I've been a die hard D.C. sports fan. Redskins, Capitals, Bullets/Wizards, Nationals and so on and so on, but the one athlete that has reached and exceeded expectations that were/are put on him.....Alex Ovechkin. During #CapitalsTalk episode 173 of SportsOTHP on TruRadio NetworkLLC we were discussing yet another record that #TheGr8 had reached and it dawned on me how great this man truly is, on and off the ice. I'm not gonna go through and list all his accolades and accomplishments, it goes deeper then that with him and the team that he led to the Stanley Cup in 2018 and looking to lead to another in the 2019/2020 season.
Being a lifetime D.C. sports fan, I've seen great players and great teams, I've seen hype and disappointment but all in all the most impressive, effective, leader of men and definition of professional athlete is....Alex Ovechkin. When he was drafted by the Capitals in 2004, fans hoped that he could lead the franchise in the right direction and reach their ultimate goal of being a champion. The Caps were six years removed from their only Stanley Cup appearance, a sweep by the Detroit Red Wings and were looking for the crucial piece to build around. They found it in Ovi. To me one of the most impressive things about Ovi is the way he's be able to stay healthy for his career with the physical style he plays. He plays with such passion and love for the game yet isn't a selfish player or stat guy, he's genuinely happy for his teammates when they score, sometimes more excited than when he scores. Then there's his scoring, in 14 seasons.....1,112 games played his numbers are as follows 678 goals, 564 assists and a +/- of 91 for a total of 1242 points. His physical brand of hockey along with the most deadliest slap shot from the circle or better known as "The Ovi Office", the fierce determination along with his improved play on all 200 feet has helped him to become a complete player and make his team a Stanley Cup winner and serious contender.....along with the stellar coaching of then Capitals coach Barry Trotz. Once the change at coach was made, I expected a slight learning curve with this team which we saw last season with the early exit by the Hurricanes in the second round of the playoffs. This season they are off to another HOT start and hopes of winning 2 Stanley Cups in 3 years, which I predicted at the beginning of the season (hopefully I'm right) and the way the team is playing makes me think we might see it come to reality. Currently 19-4-5, 1st in the NHL points and record wise and pretty much healthy. As of yesterday the team just traded Chandler Stephenson to make room under the salary cap. It was a move out of necessity and the team got a 5th round pick from Vegas Golden Knights, ironically the team the Capitals beat 4-1 to win the franchises first cup.
After Alex Ovechkin's career is over, hopefully he retires a lifetime Capital, he should have his own street named after him in the city for all the good he's done on and off the ice. I said I wasn't going to really get into his numbers and how impressive they are but the fact the folks are starting to wonder if he can reach and surpass the great Wayne Gretzky for the all time goal leader. Gretzky has 894 career goals and Ovi currently sitting at 678 in his 14th season. He's currently tied for number 3 with Teemu Selanne on the all time Power Play goals with 255 behind Brett Hull (265) and Dave Andreychuk (274). He just added to his impressive resume last week Vs the Red Wings when he recorded a hat trick that put him at 20 goals for the season. That's the 15th season in arow that he has 20 or more goals, which makes him only the 5th player in NHL history to do so. If Ovechkin continues to stay healthy (only 30 games missed due to injury in his career) it is reasonable to believe he can reach the unreachable record that most thought couldn't be reached or broken. I feel that he is a first ballot Hall Of Famer when he does walk away, but another Stanley Cup wouldn't hurt, along with another parade and reason to celebrate with the coveted Stanley Cup.
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