Ovechkin set tone for historic career with memorable debut in Capitals' home opener

Alex Ovechkin scored two goals in his first NHL game, a 3-2 victory in Washington against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 5, 2005.

But beyond twice lighting the lamp behind goalie Pascal Leclaire, beyond his 17:36 ice time and 21 shifts, five shots on goal and two penalty minutes for third-period hooking, there was the bodycheck that defined the way Ovechkin would play his entire career.

Forty seconds into the first period, on his first NHL shift, age 20 years and 18 days, Ovechkin hammered Blue Jackets defenseman Radoslav Suchy into the boards behind the Columbus goal with such force that he dislodged a panel of protective glass.

It took an ice crew five minutes to make repairs, fans at MCI Center buzzing the entire time. The future of the Capitals franchise had announced his arrival with a rink-damaging ka-boom.

It's probably safe to assume that Ovechkin will be credited with another hit or two Wednesday at Capital One Arena when the NHL's goal-scoring king plays his last career home opener, surely an emotional finale against the Pittsburgh Penguins (7:30 p.m. ET, HBO, MAX, TNT).

On Monday, Ovechkin announced that this will be his final NHL season.

The 41-year-old, in his 22nd NHL season, has done pretty much everything since his 2005-06 rookie season. Captain of the Capitals' first and only Stanley Cup championship in 2018, Ovechkin has 1,688 points (929 goals, 759 assists) in 1,575 career games, all with Washington.

Ovechkin ranks first all-time in goals (929), power-play goals (331), game-winning goals (141), overtime goals (27), road goals (476), game-opening goals (154), game-tying goals (155), go-ahead goals (297), 40-goal seasons (14), 30-goal seasons (20) and is tied for first in 50-goal seasons (9).

He has 31 points (20 goals, 11 assists) in 20 home-openers, his best performance coming in 2017 with four goals against the visiting Montreal Canadiens. The only home opener his missed was in the 2020-21 season, a 4-3 win against the Buffalo Sabres on Jan 22, 2021 due to COVID protocols.

The 20 goals are tied with Hockey Hall of Famer Mike Gartner for most goals in a home opener in NHL history. The 31 points are tied with Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Ray Bourque for fifth all time in home openers, one behind Gartner and Gretzky, who are tied for third.

His first home opener, and first NHL game, more than a year after he was selected by the Capitals with the No. 1 pick in the 2004 NHL Draft, the 2004-05 season cancelled due to a labor dispute. 

It was worth the wait as Ovechkin opened the eyes of everyone in hockey, beginning with Capitals owner Ted Leonsis.

"On a night like this, when Alexander scores a couple goals and makes a couple of big hits… word gets out," Leonsis told reporters postgame.

"The fans here are so fortunate to see him play," added then-Capitals coach Glen Hanlon. "The only people who are more fortunate are the coaches. We can't take credit for it. He's well-schooled, he has good parents. We're just the lucky recipients."

In 2025, as Ovechkin bore down on the NHL's all-time goal-scoring title, Hanlon remembered Ovechkin's debut game.

"It's really hard to paint the picture, but for whatever reason it wasn't like you were dealing with a junior hockey player," Hanlon told Tom Gulitti of NHL.com. "There was something about him that he was ready for the moment."

The Capitals fell behind twice in the second period on goals by Columbus' Dan Fritsche. Each time, Ovechkin rallied his team -- the first time within 28 seconds, the second time within 89 seconds. In so doing, he became the first player in franchise history to score twice in his NHL debut.

"Every time we got down, he picked us up," Leonsis said, quoted by (Fredericksburg, Virginia) Free Lance-Star sports editor Steve DeShazo. "That's what superstars do. …

"We knew he was gifted. He's a wonderful, wonderful example for our other young guys to follow."

Then, prophetically: "Alexander made moves tonight that will resonate around the League.

"The first check he threw to start the game, I said, ‘That's my boy,'" Leonsis added. "We want our star players to work hard and be part of the team."

Said Columbus coach Gerard Gallant: "(Ovechkin) was worth the admission tonight. He was real good."

Ovechkin was a physical force even if he was credited with just two hits. He roared to the defense of Capitals goalie Olie Kolzig after the latter was crunched by Blue Jackets' Nikolai Zherdev following a save.

Leclaire went into the history books as the first goalie to yield an Ovechkin goal.

"I always joke that I gave him confidence right off the bat," Leclaire told Gulitti in 2025. "I remember I was surprised. I kind of didn't really see him coming, but the shot came fast. They told us that he had a good shot, but he was 19, 20 years old.

"I played against (Jonathan) Toews and (Patrick) Kane when they were 19 years old and (Sidney) Crosby too, as well. They were excellent players, but they didn't have as hard a shot as Ovi. So that kind of was like, ‘Oh, this kid, we're going to have to look for it.' "

Capitals forward Jeff Halpern, who assisted on both of Ovechkin's goals (as well as Dainius Zubrus' game-winner), found it fitting that the first came on a one-timer.

Ovechkin's one-timer -- notably on the power play from the left circle, which became known as his office much as behind the net was staked out by Wayne Gretzky -- would become his signature shot.

"You'd say it's almost like a coincidence, but obviously where he scores that first goal, and it's not exactly in his power-play spot, but it was a one-timer," Halpern said. "It was kind of foreshadowing what was about to happen over the next 15-20 years."

Said Hanlon last year: "Can you predict greatness? Can you predict what (Connor) Bedard is going to be? You can't do that. You know maybe at that age he's the best player in the world by far. But how many players have you seen become the best players at 19 years old and then they don't end up being the greatest players of all time?

"What I will say is -- and I cannot put enough emphasis on the fact -- you knew something special was going to happen to him."

The long road for Ovechkin was just one game old and he was trying to take the almost overwhelming moment in stride.

"You see some people say, ‘I'm a star,' and there's no more working," he said. "That's not good for you, when you think about it. I try, I try, I try. … I feel my dreams come true. I play in the NHL. First game, we win."

Long before he was breaking records, Ovechkin was breaking a rink.