Ovechkin proud to be playing 1,000th NHL game with Capitals
Captain 'lucky' to have spent entire League career in Washington
An exciting new world opened to the Moscow native, who spoke little English initially, lived in an apartment not far from the White House and needed GPS to find his way around during his rookie season.
"But when I'd drive to the games, it was an unbelievable feeling, you know?" Ovechkin said. "My dream had come true, and I was able to play with great players and against great players. This will stick in my mind for my whole life."
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The 32-year-old left wing will play his 1,000th NHL game when the Capitals visit the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena on Sunday (7:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NHL.TV).
"I was lucky to be drafted here," said Ovechkin, the No. 1 pick in the 2004 NHL Draft. "Right away, I feel this is my second home. The organization, the fans, the community has been great for me. It's nice to play for one team that long time and be able to stay healthy and be able to do all these things together."
Lately, it's felt like the Capitals captain has reached a milestone every few weeks.
On Jan. 25 against the Florida Panthers, he joined Nicklas Backstrom as the only players in Capitals history with 500 assists.
On Feb. 26 against the Blue Jackets, he played in his 984th game with the Capitals, surpassing Calle Johansson for the most in Washington history.
On March 3 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, he reached 40 goals for the ninth time in his 13 NHL seasons, becoming the sixth player in League history to score 40 or more in at least nine seasons, joining Wayne Gretzky (12), Marcel Dionne (10), Mario Lemieux (10), Mike Bossy (nine) and Mike Gartner (nine).
On March 12 against the Winnipeg Jets, he scored his 600th NHL goal, becoming the 20th player in League history to reach that number and the fourth to do it in fewer than 1,000 games, joining Gretzky, Lemieux and Brett Hull.
With four games remaining this season, Ovechkin leads the League with 45 goals and could score 50 for the eighth time in his career. Other than Gretzky and Bossy, no else in NHL history has scored at least 50 in more than six seasons.
Ovechkin appreciates all of that, but said playing in 1,000 NHL games, and doing it all with Capitals, means the most to him.
"It's a special moment," he said. "A thousand games for one organization, it's pretty cool, and I'm going to be the first guy to do it in Washington."
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Ovechkin will be the 57th player to play at least 1,000 NHL games with one franchise and the 50th to play his first 1,000 NHL games with one team.
Ovechkin takes pride in his durability -- he's missed 29 games in his NHL career and none since 2015-16 -- and playing for one team. He was 22 when he signed 13-year contract in 2008 and has no regrets a decade later.
"If I take that time back, I would sign for 16 years if I would have known the situation that happened," he said.
Washington has gotten its money's worth. Ovechkin has set Capitals records with 603 goals, 227 power-play goals, 101 game-winning goals, 22 overtime goals, 20 hat tricks and 1,118 points. His 515 assists are the second most in Capitals history behind Backstrom's 586.
"For Alex, what I think has always been underappreciated is his durability and for him to get to 1,000 games and 600 goals quickly," Capitals owner Ted Leonsis said. "We're very, very grateful to Alex and his family for his commitment, the way he trains, the way he's matured now and gets his sleep and is hydrating well. He's been the bedrock for our franchise."
Leonsis said he wishes Ovechkin's contract was for 15 seasons. The Capitals, who have sold out 402 consecutive games at Capital One Arena, said ticket revenues have increased 167 percent since 2007-08, the first season they qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs with Ovechkin.
"I don't think there's any doubt that he's the best athlete, the most productive athlete in the history of Washington, D.C., in terms of contribution," Leonsis said. "Many of us remember what the team was like, what the franchise was like before Alex came and I couldn't be more grateful for the role he's played and I've always felt that we've been in it together."
The Capitals, who lead the Penguins by three points for first place in the Metropolitan Division, have already made the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season and the 10th time in the past 11. The one thing missing from Ovechkin's resume is the Stanley Cup, which he'd like to rectify as quickly as possible.
"The most important thing for us is winning the Stanley Cup and I want to win," Ovechkin said.
Ovechkin's 1,000th game will come against Pittsburgh, which has caused him so much heartache, eliminating Washington from the playoffs three times, including each of the past two seasons. He dismissed the coincidence as a matter of timing.
"It can be [earlier], it can be later," he said, "but I was lucky I didn't get hurt -- thanks, God -- and I'm able to play so many games in one organization."
