Ovechkin's 1,500th NHL game with Capitals 'testament to how bad he wants it'

WASHINGTON -- Alex Ovechkin will hit another big number that puts him in elite NHL company when the Washington Capitals host the Ottawa Senators at Capital One Arena on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; MNMT, NHLN, SN360).

While Ovechkin continues his quest to become the first NHL player to reach 900 goals -- he remains one away after scoring his 899th in a 5-1 win at the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday -- he will play in his 1,500th NHL game, all with the Capitals, against the Senators.

The 40-year-old left wing, who passed Wayne Gretzky (894) to become the NHL’s all-time leader in goals last season, will be the eighth player in League history to achieve the milestone with one franchise.

“Yeah, it’s pretty cool,” Ovechkin said. “Pretty special moment, obviously, for me and for my family. Lucky enough to be able to play so many games and for one team, it’s pretty cool.”

Ovechkin will join Gordie Howe (1,687 games with the Detroit Red Wings), Patrick Marleau (1,607 with the San Jose Sharks), Nicklas Lidstrom (1,564 games with Detroit), Alex Delvecchio (1,550 games with Detroit), Shane Doan (1,540 with the Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix and Arizona Coyotes), Ray Bourque (1,518 with the Boston Bruins) and Steve Yzerman (1,514 with Detroit) as the only players to reach 1,500 games with one franchise.

Ovechkin, who was selected with the No. 1 pick in the 2004 NHL Draft, takes pride in having played them all with the Capitals. He and pitcher Walter Johnson, who played for Major League Baseball's Washington Senators from 1907-27, are the only athletes to play 21 seasons for a Washington sports team.

“It is special,” Ovechkin said. “Obviously, when you came into the League you want to play as [many] games as you can, but 1,500, it’s a pretty big number.”

In the final season of a five-year, $47.5 million contract, Ovechkin doesn’t know yet whether this will be his final NHL season, so it’s unknown how far beyond 1,500 he will go. He has said he will see how this season plays out before making that decision.

In the meantime, he continues to play with the same energy and joy that have been staples of his game since he scored two goals in his NHL debut against the Blue Jackets on Oct. 5, 2005.

“He’s able to every day wake up and he brings a love, enthusiasm and passion for the game and his teammates and coming to the rink and being in the locker room,” Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said. “So, I think mentally he’s been able to just do that every single day for whatever it is, 20 straight years, and that hasn’t changed. He hasn’t had dark days or, ‘Ah, you know, maybe I don’t feel like doing it.’

“He’s as passionate about the game and loves the game as much as he did probably when he broke into the League.”

For that reason, even opponents hope Ovechkin will continue to play beyond this season.

“If he’s healthy and he has so much fun every day in the rink and in the games and fun with his team, he can play more,” Minnesota Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov said. “It’s up to him. It’s a better question for him, but we’d like to have him for a long time.”

Ovechkin acknowledged that 21 seasons have taken a physical toll, and he has had to make some adjustments with age. In addition to holding the NHL record for goals, the Capitals captain ranks third in League history with 3,760 hits (since tracking began in 2005), but he has been more selective with his physicality in recent seasons. His rate of 5.72 hits per 60 minutes last season was the second lowest of his career, behind 5.04 in 2017-18.

Ovechkin also has changed his training regimen to try to maintain his level as the NHL gets younger and faster around him. He tied for third in the League last season with 44 goals despite missing 16 games with a fractured left fibula.

“Sometimes you have to adjust a little bit, especially in the summer for your workout,” Ovechkin said. “But I was lucky enough to be able to be healthy and play in that level for such a long time.”

Ovechkin’s ability to stay healthy has been one of his trademarks. He has missed only 51 games because of injury and 76 total games during his career.

Of the 23 previous players to play in at least 1,500 NHL games, only seven missed fewer team games on their way to the milestone, according to NHL Stats: Larry Murphy (29), Marleau (31), Lidstrom (32), Ryan Suter (41), Howe (42), Jarome Iginla (43) and Scott Stevens (74).

“He’s a machine,” Washington forward Tom Wilson said. “I think he’ll tell you he’ll never change, and he’s had his foundation since he was a rookie in the League. He’s just a powerful, powerful man and a lot goes into that on a daily basis. So, it’s incredible. No one would have had him breaking a leg and scoring 44 last year. It’s just a testament to how bad he wants it.”

The 16 games Ovechkin missed last season with his injury marked the longest absence of his career. He had never missed more than six consecutive games before that, but that doesn’t mean he was always healthy.

Getting to 1,500 games requires playing through bumps and bruises as well.

“As miles pile up, I’m sure that everyone shares the same aches and pains, but, yeah, there’s just no way around playing that many games without feeling like [garbage] in a lot of them,” said Capitals defenseman John Carlson, who has been Ovechkin’s teammate for 17 seasons. “So, he’s a warrior. He’s laid it on the line for his teammates for a long, long time and that’s a true testament to our captain.”

That will be a part of Ovechkin’s legacy whenever he decides to retire, along with his collection of records. He also ranks first in League history in power-play goals (326), game-winning goals (137) and overtime goals (27). With 1,630 points, he’s 12 away from passing Joe Sakic (1,641) to break into the top 10 in NHL history.

Ovechkin is first in Washington history in games, goals and points, and with 731 assists, he’s second behind Nicklas Backstrom (762). And, of course, he led the Capitals to their first Stanley Cup championship in 2018, when he led all playoff scorers with 15 goals in 24 games.

“You really can’t put it into words the impact that he’s had and I think will be here forever,” Wilson said. “So, it’s been an honor to share a sweater with him on a lot of those nights. Just truly impressive and I think a guy that as teammates, as friends, as whatever, you’re just always impressed and always in awe of what he’s able to accomplish and leads the way every night for us.”