Ovechkin bid to pass Jagr on NHL goals list fun for teammates, opponents
Capitals forward tied for third, has players feeling like they're 'truly a part of hockey history'
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Ovechkin is tied with Jagr at 766 goals heading into the Capitals' game against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on Friday (10 p.m. ET; SNP, NBCSWA, ESPN+, NHL LIVE) after not scoring in a 4-3 overtime loss at the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday. But Oshie knows it's only a matter of time before Ovechkin overtakes Jagr and the 36-year-old left wing moves on to his next big moment.
"To be a part of that, it feels like you're really, truly a part of hockey history here," Oshie said. "First and foremost, since I've been here for a while (seven seasons), I feel like my friendship with 'O' has really grown and I respect the hell out of him. But to see what he's doing and see him go for this is really a treat to watch.
"It's like watching your favorite show that you can binge, except that you get to watch it 82 times a year."
The show promises to get better in the coming weeks and seasons. After Ovechkin passes Jagr, only Gordie Howe (801) and Wayne Gretzky (894) will remain between him and the NHL goals record.
In his 17th NHL season, Ovechkin has scored 36 goals in 57 games and is closing in on his 12th 40-goal season, which would tie Gretzky for the most in NHL history. He's on pace to finish with 51 goals and tie the NHL record shared by Gretzky and Mike Bossy with his ninth 50-goal season.
And Ovechkin is already well positioned to pass Howe next season, trailing him by 35 goals for second.
"It's probably cool for the fans, but it's even better being up close and personal," Capitals forward Garnet Hathaway said. "… I think it sneaks up on you. He has so many milestones that he hits that it feels like every other night you're celebrating something else and then an even bigger one comes around the corner."
Watching Ovechkin make a run at the NHL goals record isn't only fun for his teammates but his opponents too. As much as they hope to stop him from scoring, they also value that they are potentially witnessing and experiencing history.
"It was actually funny," Canucks forward Tanner Pearson said. "After one of the games on the road, we were sitting around talking about guys who they were playing (against) in their first NHL camps and looking back at those names and, obviously, some of the older guys had some pretty cool names to go through. But then we're talking about who's going to be our generation and then when I'm done you look back and say you played against arguably the best goal-scorer there is.
"So if he does get there, it will be pretty cool to get to that No. 1 spot."
It wasn't that long ago that few, including Ovechkin, believed he could get to the No. 1 spot. But Ovechkin has closed the gap on Howe and Gretzky enough now that a feeling of anticipation and appreciation is beginning to build.
"Obviously, it's exciting going up against one of the game's all-time greats," Oilers captain Connor McDavid said. "He's obviously been a force in this league for a long time and he's chasing down some pretty special players ahead of him. So it's fun to kind of watch from afar."
Canucks coach Bruce Boudreau had a front-row seat when he coached Ovechkin for five seasons with Washington from 2007-2012. Ovechkin scored an NHL career-high 65 goals and won the Hart Trophy voted as NHL most valuable player in his first season under Boudreau in 2007-08. That was the first of Ovechkin's NHL-record nine seasons leading the League in goals.
"It's always fun [to watch him]," Boudreau said. "He gets his chances no matter what. When we played them in Washington [on Jan. 16], he had two Grade A's that [Thatcher] Demko made incredible saves on. Last night, I thought he had two open nets for sure that he was going to score on, and he didn't score on them. He's going to get his looks.
"I've watched him for 17 years and no matter how good or bad he looks that game, he's going to get opportunities to score. It's just the nature of Alex Ovechkin."
Boudreau would've preferred that Ovechkin scored against the Oilers to move ahead of Jagr on Wednesday and avoid possibly having the milestone come at the Canucks' expense. Boudreau also knows Ovechkin enjoys scoring against him and has a knack for it, with eight goals in 12 games against his teams (the Anaheim Ducks, Minnesota Wild and Canucks) since he was fired by Washington.
"He's going to look at me tomorrow and he's going to go, 'I'm going to score tonight,'" Boudreau said. "You know he's going to do that. It's tough because he's one of the greatest players of all time. It's tough to stop one of the greatest players of all time. So we just hope to try to contain him and see where it goes."
