Capitals win in Ovechkin’s potential final home game to keep playoff hopes alive

Nobody, including the man himself, knew for sure if Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins was Alex Ovechkin’s last in the District. The Capitals faithful weren’t taking any chances. 

Washington’s fans showered the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer with ovations throughout Sunday’s do-or-die game against the rival Penguins as the Capitals stared down elimination. 

Washington won, 3-0, in the home finale, keeping its playoff hopes alive for another 24 hours. 

But the festivities carried an uncertain atmosphere: Would Washington’s fans ever see their captain play again? Ovechkin has publicly said that he hasn’t decided on his future. He plans to announce this summer whether he’ll return to the Capitals for a 22nd season or retire to his native Russia for a farewell tour in the KHL.

When No. 8 took the ice for warm-ups, the fans who had spent 21 seasons cheering him on gave him what may have been a final earful. As they twirled “GR8NESS” towels — given to every fan in attendance — they reflected on the memories. Ovechkin delivered a Stanley Cup to this fanbase in 2018. He broke Wayne Gretzky’s goals record last April. And in between, he helped turn the District into a bona fide hockey town.

“It’s bittersweet,” season ticket-holder John McMurray said. “Just the potential of not getting to see him play again in the NHL, it sucks. But it’s really cool that I got to see it when he was here.”

Ovechkin’s impact has extended beyond the stat sheet and standings. USA Hockey registrations in the greater Washington area grew by 75% during Ovechkin’s 21 seasons in the District. 

Between periods on Sunday, a group of ankle-biting young players played an exhibition on the Capitals’ ice. They donned yellow laces in honor of Washington’s captain. 

“What he’s done for this city, you can’t put into words. He’s literally changed the game,” longtime teammate Tom Wilson said. “He’s changed everything in this city. What he’s done, it may not ever be done again for a franchise.”

Ovechkin didn’t ask for the recognition, though. If it were up to him, none of the spotlights would shine on him. He kept the same pre-game ritual on Sunday, despite the thousands of eyes committing his every move to memory. 

He played pregame sewer ball — an NHL tradition where players form a circle and try to keep a soccer ball from hitting the concrete — in the bowels of Capital One Arena. He stretched casually during warm-ups, as he has more than 1,500 times before, and shuffled in place throughout the national anthem.

“If I went in [the locker room] and talked about him and the gravity of this night and celebrating him,” Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said before the game. “He would pull me aside, probably, after that and say, ‘What the hell do you think you’re doing?’”

Pittsburgh’s players received that treatment after the game. When they formed a postgame handshake line to say their farewells, Ovechkin flashed a gap-toothed smile and waved them off. 

“It’s in [Ovechkin] fashion,” Carbery said after the game. “He’s like, ‘I’m not retired, so no, leave me alone. I don’t want to shake anybody’s hand.’”

Ovechkin didn’t have a choice when it came to the fans. Spectators from 15 countries flocked to the District to pay their respects to “The Great Eight.” The Capitals tallied ticket sales from Israel, South Korea, Russia, Mexico, Australia, Finland and Singapore.

Those die-hards let Ovechkin hear it. 

The pregame national anthem was briefly delayed due to an extended standing ovation for the man affectionately known as “Ovi.” During his first shift, fans erupted into another chant: “One more year.”

His teammates did their part to keep the energy up. On a power play in the second period, Washington defenseman Jakob Chychrun broke his stick in half on a shot attempt. Undeterred, he chased the puck into the defensive zone, diving and swatting it away to prevent a one-on-one scoring chance for the Penguins. 

“The guys understand. They know the gravity that that comes with,” Carbery said of the importance of Sunday’s game. “There’s a little bit of extra, ‘OK, we want to make sure we’re doing everything I possibly can to make this a successful night for not only O, but for the team.’”

Dylan Strome did his part to force Ovechkin to receive his flowers. During the opening faceoff, he jumped. Then, he did it again. It appeared intentional, forcing Ovechkin into squaring off with Sidney Crosby as the future Hall of Famers played each other for the 100th time. 

It wasn’t Strome’s idea. He said one of the referees approached him before the puck drop.

“I was obviously all-in,” the center said.

Throughout the game, Washington’s fans erupted for Ovechkin’s every move. Another hit against the boards? “Ovi! Ovi! Ovi,” they’d respond. A diving effort to keep a puck out of Pittsburgh’s hands drew thunderous applause. His final highlight — an assist late in the third that allowed Connor McMichael to score Washington’s third goal — elicited more chants: “One more year!”

It isn’t an unreasonable ask. Though Ovechkin is now 40, he leads Washington in goals and points this season. He’s one of three Capitals to appear in every game this campaign.

His skating speed has dipped in recent years, but his intensity hasn’t. Ovechkin sent the crowd into a frenzy early in the first period when he slammed Pittsburgh’s Joona Koppanen into the boards. He finished the night with a team-leading five hits.

“He’s still throwing the body. Guess he’s going for the hits record still,” Wilson said. “He’s a machine.”

And about those chants, pleading for one last run?

“I will think about it,” Ovechkin said. 

The Capitals still have a slim shot at a postseason berth. They’ll need to win in their season finale against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday. The Philadelphia Flyers would also need to lose both of their remaining games to send Washington into the playoffs.