Postseason fun begins in ’08
Ovechkin’s debut in the Stanley Cup Playoffs on April 11, 2008, was as memorable as so many other moments in his illustrious NHL career. With the score tied late in the third period of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Philadelphia Flyers, Ovechkin disrupted a pass between Flyers defensemen Jaroslav Modry and Lasse Kukkonen, then stole the puck from the latter in front of the goal. After scoring the unassisted game-winning goal on Martin Biron at 15:28 for a 5-4 victory, Ovechkin leapt into the glass and was mobbed by his teammates. It was the first of his 77 playoff goals, and another reason to celebrate his greatness. -- Tracey Myers, staff writer
Never give up
A determined Ovechkin is almost impossible to stop, even illegally, which is why he has scored so many goals while falling down -- or, in the case of his famous goal at the Phoenix Coyotes in his rookie season in 2006, while on his back. Another example of Ovechkin’s determination came against the Montreal Canadiens on Feb. 18, 2009. With the Canadiens up 1-0 midway through the first period, Ovechkin won the race to a loose puck at center ice and chipped it off the boards past defenseman Roman Hamrlik. He then spun around Hamrlik, picked the puck up off the boards and took it hard to the net. On his way there, Canadiens forward Kyle Chipchura tried to cut Ovechkin off and ended up taking him down. Undaunted, Ovechkin was still able to get a shot off from his backside and lifted the puck past goalie Carey Price to tie the game. It was an amazing goal from an outstanding player and highlighted his never-quit attitude. Washington went on to win the game 4-3 in the shootout. -- Derek Van Diest, staff writer
Dangles and silky mitts
This was one of those goals that you don't forget. A did-he-just-do-that goal by the player who nearly 16 years later would become the greatest goal-scorer in NHL history. Let's go back to it as if it's happening live. It's April 24, 2009, and the Capitals are hosting the New York Rangers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. They're leading 3-0 on their way to staying alive with a 4-0 win in the best-of-7 series that they eventually win in seven games. There are 40 seconds remaining in the second period when Capitals forward Sergei Fedorov forces Nikolay Zherdev into a turnover in Washington's defensive zone. Ovechkin comes back across the blue line to get the puck, turns up ice and turns on the afterburners down the left-wing wall. He crosses the red line, then the blue line, and cuts inside, the puck on his forehand. He avoids a check from Chris Drury, cuts back inside on a dime and slips the puck through Derek Morris' legs, kicks the puck to himself to keep it, protects it on his backhand to avoid a last-second backcheck from Aaron Voros, falls to his knees and somehow, some way, gets enough oomph on a backhanded shot to get it past Hall of Fame goalie Henrik Lundqvist before sliding into the end boards. For a player known for his blistering one-timer, the ability to power a puck past any goalie, this was Ovechkin showing off skills that he needed to become the best to ever score goals in the NHL. -- Dan Rosen, senior writer
Hats off to Ovi, Sid
“Sick game.” That was Ovechkin’s description of the Capitals’ 4-3 victory against the visiting Penguins in Game 2 of the 2009 Eastern Conference Semifinals. And those two words said it all. For those like yours truly who were privileged enough to be in the press box that memorable afternoon of May 4, 2009, watching two generational players like Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby go toe-to-toe exchanging blows on the scoreboard was the stuff legends are made of. When all was said and done, both players had scored a hat trick in one of the most epic games I’ve had the pleasure of seeing in almost three decades of covering the sport. I’ve made this comparison before: For this one epic moment in time, it was Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson, Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier, Mario Lemieux vs. Wayne Gretzky, Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning. And it exceeded even the most optimistic of expectations. -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer
