Druce hoping Ovechkin breaks his Capitals record in Stanley Cup Final

WASHINGTON -- John Druce, the former Washington Capitals forward who caught lightning in a bottle in the 1990 Stanley Cup Playoffs, said he's on the edge of his seat anticipating that Alex Ovechkin will break his Capitals record for most goals in the postseason.

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Druce scored 14 goals in 15 playoff games in 1990. Ovechkin has 13 goals in 21 playoff games this season and could tie the record in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights at Capital One Arena on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVAS).
"Having Ovi achieve this, well, he should have done it already," Druce said Friday. "He's an elite player, but unfortunately they've had a hard time in the playoffs, playing against such good opponents like [the] Pittsburgh [Penguins] every year and all the great personnel they have."
Druce, 52, played 10 NHL seasons and 531 games with the Capitals, Winnipeg Jets, Los Angeles Kings and Philadelphia Flyers, scoring 239 points (113 goals, 126 assists) from 1988-98. In 53 playoff games, he had 23 points (17 goals, six assists).

"Ovi is one of the most natural goal-scorers around, maybe ever to play the game," Druce said. "He has so much skill, so much talent and is such a big body. Nobody can shoot like that.
"And he doesn't need the puck in the perfect spot. Look at that power-play goal in Game 2. He found a way to get his stick on it. He's so amazing that way. And I love it when he's playing physical too, and grinding and blocking shots. I hope he scores eight more [in the playoffs]. What a great ride. I'm looking for the Caps to finally get this done."
Druce was 24 and in his second NHL season when he had a memorable impact on the playoffs. It started with a power-play goal in a 5-4 overtime win against the New Jersey Devils in Game 1 of the Patrick Division Semifinals on April 5, 1990.
He also scored in Game 4 and Game 6, and the Capitals won three in a row to close the series, defeating the Devils in six games.
Washington then eliminated the New York Rangers in five games in the second round, and Druce scored in each game, nine goals in total, including a hat trick in Game 2.
The Peterborough, Ontario, native, a second-round selection (No. 40) by Washington in the 1985 NHL Draft, scored at 6:48 of overtime in Game 5, a 2-1 win that finished the Rangers.
Druce scored two goals in the Eastern Conference Final against the Boston Bruins, but the Capitals were swept in four games.
In that postseason, Druce had a shooting percentage of 31.8 percent and led the playoffs with eight power-play goals and four game-winning goals.
"I'm proud of it," Druce said. "I always said it was when I got my foot in the door. Those playoffs are like my calling card, really.
"I played [10] years in the NHL but in reality, when you look back at it, it's the thing that everybody remembers. I guess it's a long time ago now, 28 years ago, but at the time it was huge for me."

The circumstances of Druce's remarkable performance in 1990 are still fresh in his mind. He recalled finishing the regular season strongly and that Capitals coach Terry Murray expressed frequent confidence in his game.
"I only had eight goals and played just 45 games that season, in and out of the lineup," Druce said. "Lots on the third and fourth lines.
"In Game 1 against Jersey, I remember getting in a fight with [Devils defenseman] Ken Daneyko, and after the game talking with [teammate] Dale Hunter. Well, we were pretty close and he said to me that the fight was great motivation for him and made him want to play even more. That surprised me because it was so cool to hear."
When the Capitals advanced to play the Rangers, Druce was promoted to the top line with Hunter and Geoff Courtnall after forward Dino Ciccarelli was injured.
"What an opportunity," Druce said. "Now I was playing power play, regular shift, penalty killing. But my job was not playmaking. It was bump, grind and get to the net.
"And those guys, all my teammates, were so good at getting pucks to the net. I remember [Capitals general manager] David Poile saying a long time ago that if I wasn't on my [backside], I wasn't doing my job. It was a way to tell if I was playing in the trenches. What a great opportunity I had, hungry and young and getting so much ice time."
Since he retired from the NHL in 1998, Druce has been a TV analyst with Sportsnet, a financial adviser, and in the past two hockey seasons, he has devoted more time to coaching.
This season, he coached Wellington to the Ontario Junior Hockey League title and to the final game of the RBC Cup, Canada's national Junior A championship, where they lost 4-2 to Chilliwack.