Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring – Twenty years, six months and one week ago, Alex Ovechkin burst upon the NHL scene with an unforgettable NHL debut here at the building on F St. NW in Washington, DC, scoring a pair of goals and breaking a pane of plexiglass with a thunderous bodycheck on Columbus Blue Jackets blueliner Radoslav Suchy.
Starting that night, the local hockey landscape gradually changed and evolved as the Ovechkin train began rolling regularly through the NHL, but always – well, usually – with those 41 local exhibits every season here in the District, at the building now known as Capital One Arena.
As his 21st NHL regular season – and the final campaign of his five-year contract extension from the summer of 2021 – draws to a close, Ovechkin’s future is suddenly clouded in uncertainty for perhaps the first time. Although he has scored 199 goals over the life of that five-year pact, seventh most in the NHL across that span, he will turn 41 years old prior to the start of the 2026-27 season in the fall, and he has not decided whether there will be a 22nd NHL season added to his already burgeoning and impressive NHL résumé in the fall.
When he signed his current contract, Ovechkin did not do so until July 27 of that summer; he and the Capitals waited more than a year to come to terms and announce the signing, but it was essentially a foregone conclusion that he would eventually do so. This time around, the Caps captain has kept his cards closer to the vest, saying earlier in the week that he prefers to defer the decision on his future until the offseason.
Ah, the offseason. That’s the other complication. With two games remaining on their regular season schedule, the Caps still have a faint heartbeat as far as their playoff hopes go. But they must win today’s rematch with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Tuesday’s season finale against the Jackets in Columbus. And even if they manage to pick up those four points, they’re still at the mercy of the results on the out-of-town scoreboard. They do not control their own destiny.
How then, do we wrap our minds around today, and the heft and the gravity of it, and the meaning and magnitude of the game itself in the standings, plus the heft and the gravity of this possibly being the last time any of us witnesses the glory we’ve become so accustomed to seeing for the last 20 years, six months and one week?
“I think you're hoping, as a coach, that it plays out sort of the way that it played out last year, towards the end of the chase [of the NHL’s all-time goal-scoring record],” says Caps coach Spencer Carbery. “When you're when you're having a night like tonight, that potentially is O’s last home game in the regular season ever in Washington, DC, the guys understand that. They know the gravity that that comes with. There is a, I don’t want to say responsibility, but it gives you a little extra of, ‘Okay, we want to make sure that I’m doing everything that I possibly can to make this a successful night, not only for O, but for the team.’
“And so, I think that's what you felt a lot of last year. You can reference the Chicago Blackhawks game [on April 4, 2025 here in DC], and think that was an example, but there were many more of where you felt like it gave us a little bit of a boost. So as a coach, you hope that that's the case tonight, with the atmosphere in the building and with as important of a game it is for our team, and then also being able to celebrate O, if this is, in case, his last game.”
Century City – Today marks the 100th meeting in the 21-season rivalry between the captains of these longtime Patrick Division and now Metropolitan Division foes. This weekend feels a bit different than the previous 99 meetings between Ovechkin and Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby; there is no guarantee of another one in a week or a month, or next season.
“I just think the games in general, playing against [Pittsburgh], who is one of our biggest rivals, and what's at stake – so, they're in a playoff spot, we're fighting like hell to stay in it – and [Ovechkin], Sid, always adds a little bit extra,” said Carbery after Washington’s game in Toronto on Wednesday. “And so, if this ends up being the end for [Ovechkin], to have these two games on national television against [Pittsburgh] will be special moments.”
The Wayback Machine – On Nov. 22, 2005 at Pittsburgh’s long ago demolished Mellon Center, the first of the 99 meetings between Ovechkin and Crosby took place. The Pens prevailed 5-4, opening up a 4-0 lead with four goals in the first and holding off a late Capitals surge. Ovechkin had an assist, and Crosby had a goal and an assist.
Nearly 16 years to the day after his NHL debut, Caps center Andrew Cassels skated in the 1,000th game of his career that night. And the great Mario Lemieux was in the Pittsburgh lineup that evening, too.
And ahead of that game more than two decades, here is the game preview that appeared here in this space:
November 22 versus Pittsburgh Penguins at Mellon Arena
Time: 7:30 pm
TV: Comcast SportsNet
Radio: WTNT 570 AM
Washington Capitals (8-12-0)
Pittsburgh Penguins (6-9-6)
The two teams have combined to win only 14 of their first 41 games, but Tuesday’s tilt between the Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Igloo in Pittsburgh is one of the most highly anticipated regular season games in recent memory. The contest features the first NHL meeting of two of the most heralded rookies to play in the NHL in many years.
Eighteen-year-old Penguins center Sidney Crosby is known as “Sid the Kid.” The first player chosen in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, he leads the Penguins and all NHL rookies in scoring.
Those who have seen Alex Ovechkin’s performance over his first 20 NHL games will tell you he is The Man. He leads Capitals in scoring and leads all NHL rookies in goals.
Both players have ignited interest in their respective markets and throughout the league. Both players figure to be stars in the NHL for years – if not decades – to come. They’ve played against each other in international competition, but Tuesday marks their first meeting on an NHL ice sheet.
When asked if Tuesday’s tilt was just another game, Ovechkin responded thusly:
“Yeah, just another game against some great players: Mario Lemieux, John LeClair and Crosby.”
Caps coach Glen Hanlon won’t even try to pretend that Tuesday’s game in Pittsburgh is just another game.
“I would like to say yes, but it’s not,” he admits. “It’s just so exciting and the league is putting emphasis on it. They’re selling it a certain way, the media are all aware of it and the players are aware of it. When you play 82 games in a season, it’s fun to be involved in things like this.”
Hanlon isn’t worried about Ovechkin getting overly excited over facing Crosby and the Penguins for the first time.
“I think Alex is pretty wired every game,” he observes. “He has played in so many of these [big] games in his life from World Championships to World Juniors and always having expectation and he has prepared so much for it that there is nothing I need to say. Maybe the biggest thing is for all our remaining players and him to a certain extent to [remember] that it’s not about just him [Tuesday] night, that we’re going there to play our best.”
And Hanlon doesn’t expect Ovechkin to be bothered by Moscow Dynamo’s claim to his playing rights for the 2005-06 season, either.
“I don’t think anything distracts this guy,” says Hanlon. “He is a pretty focused kid.”
Even some of the other participants in Tuesday’s game are excited to see what the contest will bring.
“You’ve got two up-and-coming kids who are unbelievable and have already made an impact on the league,” says Washington defenseman Brendan Witt. “We get to see [Ovechkin] in practice every day; the only thing I’ve seen from Crosby are highlights and he looks like he is a phenomenal player.
“They are two different style players. Ovy is more of a power forward; he can do it himself. The other guy is more of a playmaker but he can also put the puck into the net. It will be interesting. Both [guys were] first picks overall in the last two drafts. It will be exciting for both of the teams and also the league.”
While all the attention is on Ovechkin and Crosby, the Caps will go about the business of trying to win another hockey game and trying to win consecutive hockey games for the first time this season. Washington is coming off a 5-1 thumping of the Canadiens on Saturday night in Montreal. The win was just Washington’s second in 10 road games.
The game in Montreal marked the first time this season that Washington led by as many as three goals, and it managed to build that lead in the first 10 minutes of the first period. More impressively, the win came on the heels of Thursday’s 8-5 loss in Buffalo. The Caps were down 6-1 midway through that game before rallying to put a late scare into the Sabres.
One hallmark of the 2005-06 Capitals has been a short memory. The Caps have followed some of their ugliest losses with some of their most gutsy and spirited performances.
“If we lose, we just forget it and play next game,” says Ovechkin. “Don’t think about last game, look forward and play hard the whole game.”
Caps goaltender Olie Kolzig sees it the same way and gives credit where it’s due.
“I think a lot of that has to do with the coaching staff,” he says. “They come in and they are always positive and they are always upbeat. They always remind us, ‘Hey, we lost 8-5 or we lost 8-1. It’s the same as losing 2-1 or 3-1. You lost the game and there is not much you can do about it. Let’s just move on and improve.’
“It’s a great attribute for a young hockey team to have because when young hockey teams get pounded it usually lingers for three or four games and they dig themselves a hole. It’s a great sign when you have a young team and are able to respond from a beating like that.”
Pittsburgh’s lineup is packed with offensive power, which could present some puzzles for Hanlon as he decides how to deploy his lines on Tuesday. But if he’s bothered by that, he’s not letting on.
“We’re staying consistent,” he responds, when asked how he will deal with the Penguins’ attack. “We just keep on trying to get better every day. We just keep on building and working on the things that we feel we need to do to get to where we want to be. Montreal has great firepower and Buffalo has great firepower. Our game is playing hard, physical hockey and making all 29 teams feel uncomfortable right from the start and make them work for every inch of ice. It doesn’t matter who we play.”
Injuries
Pittsburgh Penguins
Defenseman Sergei Gonchar is day-to-day with a groin injury.
Defenseman Dick Tarnstrom has a knee injury and is out indefinitely.
Right wing Andre Roy is out indefinitely with a fractured orbital bone.
Washington
Center Dainius Zubrus is day-to-day with a groin injury.
Left wing Jeff Friesen is day-to-day with a groin injury.
Right wing Stephen Peat is out indefinitely with an upper body injury.
Possible forward lines and defense pairings
Pittsburgh Forwards
10-LeClair, 66-Lemieux, 71-Koltsov
12-Malone, 8-Recchi, 17-Murley
87-Crosby, 16-Christensen, 33-Palffy
23-Endicott, 25-Talbot, 37-Vandenbussche
Pittsburgh Defensemen
3-Poapst, 19-Whitney
44-Orpik, 24-Odelein
2-Melichar, 22-Jackman
Goaltenders
31-Caron
41-Thibault
Washington Forwards
8-Ovechkin, 25-Cassels, 17-Clark
18-Pettinger, 11-Halpern, 24-Willsie
27-Clymer, 16-Sutherby, 10-Bradley
43-Fleischmann, 21-Laich, 38-Klepis
Washington Defensemen
19-Witt, 44-Eminger
47-Muir, 6-Heward
26-Morrisonn, 40-Yonkman
Goaltenders
37-Kolzig
1-Johnson
In The Nets – One day after notching his 30th victory of the season with a nine-save performance against the Penguins in Pittsburgh, Logan Thompson is in the crease once again for Washington in Sunday’s rematch with the Pens. Today, he seeks to keep the Caps’ postseason hopes alive by notching his 31st win, which would match his single-season best established a season ago.
Lifetime against Pittsburgh, Thompson is 4-1-0 in five appearances – all starts – with a 2.62 GAA and a .904 save pct.
Stuart Skinner is the Sunday starter in net for the Penguins. He won 11 of his 23 starts (11-8-4) with Edmonton prior to the midseason swap that sent him to Pittsburgh, where he has won a dozen of 25 starts (12-8-5) since swapping blue and orange for black and gold.
Lifetime against the Capitals, Skinner is 2-4-0 in six appearances – all starts – with a shutout, a 3.06 GAA and an .891 save pct.
All Down The Line – Here’s how the Caps and the Penguins might look on Sunday afternoon in the District, with the added caveats that Dubois and Sandin are both expected to be game time decisions for Washington:
WASHINGTON
Forwards
8-Ovechkin, 17-Strome, 72-Beauvillier
24-McMichael, 80-Dubois, 9-Leonard
21-A. Protas, 62-I.Protas, 43-Wilson
22-Duhaime, 34-Sourdif, 63-Miroshnichenko
Defensemen
42-Fehervary, 38-Sandin
6-Chychrun, 57-van Riemsdyk
44-Hutson, 3-Roy
Goaltenders
48-Thompson
33-Stevenson
Healthy Extras
27-Liljegren
29-Lapierre
47-Chisholm
52-McIlrath
53-Frank
64-Kampf
Injured/Out
79-Lindgren (upper body)
PITTSBURGH
Forwards
59-Chinakhov, 87-Crosby, 17-Rust
18-Novak, 67-Rakell, 71-Malkin
2-McGroarty, 13-K.Hayes,16-Brazeau
25-Soderblom, 15-Koppanen, 85-A. Hayes
Defensemen
28-Wotherspoon, 65-Karlsson
49-Girard, 58-Letang
7-Solovyov, 3-St. Ivany
Goalies
74-Skinner
37-Silovs
Healthy Extras
13-K. Hayes
27-Graves
41-Koivunen
Injured/Out
5-Shea (upper body)
19-Dewar (lower body)
39-Mantha (lower body)
46-Lizotte (upper body)
55-Acciari (upper body)
75-Clifton (upper body)
81-Kindel (upper body)
82-Jones (upper body)
