How did a kid from Crowley, Louisiana fall in love with the game of hockey?
Some may say the Louisiana Icegators, who had a historic run in the 90s and early 2000s. They were certainly part of it, as my family went to many games when I was very young.
But the biggest piece of this puzzle? Witnessing #Gr8ness in the Nation’s Capitol.
Wayne Gretzky is the greatest hockey player ever. His record of 2,857 total points will likely never be touched in the league’s history.
For a long time, many thought his goal record of 894, which he scored in 1995 against the New York Islanders and held for 30 years and 11 days, wouldn’t be reached either.
Including Alex Ovechkin.
Back in 2016, Ovechkin was asked about the record and if he thought it would be caught. “I don’t think somebody will beat that record. I think it’s impossible.”
Well, “Gr8”, you’ve done it.
In his 20th season with the Washington Capitals, Ovechkin scored his 895th goal on Sunday against the New York Islanders to become the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer. It was a special moment for the 39-year-old, who was drafted by the Capitals first overall in 2004 before making his debut in October 2005.
“What a moment for hockey, for my family, myself, this organization, and my teammates,” Ovechkin said after the 2nd period goal. “Obviously, this is huge.”
“When I tied the record (Friday night), it was special and emotional,” Ovechkin said about his two-goal performance on Friday, tying the Great One’s record of 894 goals. “However, this is crazy. It’ll probably take a few days for me to know what it means to be #1, but all I can say is I’m proud of myself, my family, and all my teammates who helped me reach this great milestone.”
Ovi, a nickname known around the world, was always a prolific goal scorer. Scoring his first career goal in his first career game, he was destined for greatness from the start. Nearly half of his seasons in the District have featured 50+ goals, including 65 in 2007, his first time grabbing the Hart Memorial Trophy for the league’s MVP. However, as he got later into his career, many expected the nine-time Rocket Richard Trophy (most goals in a season) winner’s production to decrease, falling just short of the Great One.
That hasn’t been the case.
Since capturing the franchise’s first Stanley Cup in the 2017-2018 season, Ovechkin has had six seasons of 40 or more goals, including his 42nd goal in 2024-2025 that broke the record on Sunday in Long Island.
But more than his 895 career goals, many of his teammates spoke after the game about Alex, the person.
“It’s incredible,” Tom Wilson, who assisted on the goal, said. “It’s the biggest goal in the history of the NHL and to be in here with our best friends, a great captain, teammate and friend, I’m just so proud and happy for him.”
“He’s done so much for all of us and our careers, this organization, this city, his family, our families. It’s just special to be a part of and I couldn’t be happier for him.”
Ovechkin grew up in a very athletic household; his father was a professional soccer player, and his mother was an Olympian on the basketball court. But growing up in Russia in the late 80s and early 90s, Alex gravitated to hockey. Playing professionally in Russia beginning at the age of 15, you could tell early on that this kid was different than the rest. The way he would skate around the ice, the stick handling, and the aggression all mixed into one was something many hadn’t seen before from a Russian-born player.
Alan May, who played for the Caps and is now a TV analyst for Monumental Sports Network, shared his perspective on Ovi’s early days in an exclusive interview with ESPN Southwest Louisiana.
“When I saw this young, wild player, Alexander Ovechkin, I saw him playing the World Juniors, and I thought oh my God this kid’s wild and crazy. I loved it,” May said. “For a Russian player, he was so unique and so different. There had never been a Russian player like that before. And watching opening night, what he did as Washington Capital, the explosiveness, the shot, the enthusiasm- all very un-Russian, especially the enthusiasm part in the physicality.”
The young hockey star also grew up in a time when many NHL fans, a league born in Canada and the northern United States, had a hatred of Russia dating back to the Cold War. Although most of it stemmed from political unrest, many fans weren’t receptive to a Russian player early in Ovechkin’s career. Fans and players alike didn’t like the way he played early in his career, with his mirrored visor and emotional celebrations. Early in his career, goalies asked the league to ban his mirrored visor, saying they were at a disadvantage because they couldn’t follow his eyes.
“The way the culture was in TV, you were born and bred to hate Russians. With all the early Canada-Russia series, where there’s a lot of hatred involved,” May said when speaking about the early days of Ovechkin’s career. “It’s influenced by medium and political temperatures at the time, and Ovi had to deal with a lot. People didn’t want to like him. You look at his celebrations, how unique they were, and the fact that he showed raw emotion, used to jump in the glass and he’d sweep the ice on the one long celebration he has, he was getting hacked on for everything, but he just kept being himself and playing as hard as he could.”
The moment that he tied Gretzky’s record on Friday was pure bliss. The Capitals bench cleared and mobbed their captain as Gretzky, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, and several other dignitaries were in attendance. He then received a standing ovation from everyone in Capital One Arena before resuming the game with more than 12 minutes remaining in the contest. Afterwards, in a 5-3 win for Washington, Ovechkin took a victory lap around the rink before shaking hands with each member of the Chicago Blackhawks as a sign of respect.
Sunday was more of the same as his teammates celebrated with him on the ice as if they had won Lord Stanley’s Cup. That’s how much this moment meant. Afterward, an on-ice ceremony with his family, Gretzky, Bettman, and his teammates to commemorate the historic achievement.
I became a Washington Capitals fan because of Alex Ovechkin. Like May said, Alex was such a different player for his time, and it was something to behold. I remember the first game I saw him play and the viral moments that followed, including “The Goal” against the Phoenix Coyotes where he threw a puck by the goaltender sliding across the front of the crease on his back. I wanted to watch more and more of this guy, so I did. I learned about the players around him and the history of the franchise, and I was hooked.
Over the years, I’ve watched as this team struggled to compete for a championship, losing year after year in the second round of the Playoffs to either the New York Rangers or the Pittsburgh Penguins, before everything changed in 2018.
Washington was able to overcome Columbus in six games before “exercising their demons,” as John Walton said, when Evgeny Kuznetsov scored an overtime goal in Game 6 to defeat Pittsburgh. Then, the Caps took down the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games to advance to the Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Washington won that series in five games for the franchise’s first title. The look of relief and pride on the face of Alex when he was given the Stanley Cup was enough to make any fan shed a tear.
I remember feeling a very similar feeling that night in June of 2018 that I did on February 7, 2010, when the New Orleans Saints won the Super Bowl. Immense joy and pride for my team. I’ve always been proud to #RockTheRed in both highs and lows, but that night was special.
Last month, I had the chance to go to Washington and attend a Caps game in person, which was so special. However, seeing Ovechkin score a goal at home was nothing short of a storybook for me. I got to see him play in Dallas in 2013, but the emotions that hit me watching warmups in his home rink and seeing him light the lamp in front of 20,000 screaming Caps fans? That was fun.
Gretzky will always be the Great One, but Alex Ovechkin is now the greatest goalscorer in NHL history.
We have witnessed #Gr8ness.
Matt Miguez is the host of the Miguez Mindset podcast on ESPN Southwest Louisiana’s YouTube channel. He is also a digital contributor to ESPN 103.7 Lafayette and 104.1 Lake Charles.
