Learning from tough experiences
Older, wiser Alex Ovechkin leading the way for Capitals in Cup quest
Following another crushing Washington Capitals’ post-season setback last spring, head coach Barry Trotz got on a plane and headed to Russia for a meeting of the minds with his best player.
Trotz and Alex Ovechkin sat down and talked about growing the sniper’s game - similar to how other high-level veterans on the wrong side of 30 have altered their approach to prolong careers.
The coach and superstar discussed preparation, competing at both ends of the rink and setting the tone in training camp for a franchise that was undergoing a major roster overhaul as a number of key veterans headed out the door in favour young, impressionable prospects.
While there were some bumps in the road, the end result has seen a reinvigorated Ovechkin playing an instrumental role in getting Washington within reach of its first-ever Stanley Cup.
“You don’t want to be a one-trick pony in this league,” Trotz said. “The league keeps changing on you.”
Ovechkin, whose Capitals visited the surprising expansion Vegas Golden Knights in Game 1 of the final Monday, scored 49 times this season to reclaim his Rocket Richard Trophy after grabbing just 33 goals in 201617.
That’s a trick coaches, teammates and opponents alike have come to expect.
“The one thing that Alex does better than anybody, maybe in the history of the game, is score goals,” Trotz said. “He has fantastic release. He plays a physical game for a pure-skill guy. There’s so many things that he’s done for the game. “But we talked about finding other ways to be effective.” And apart from his usual offensive contribution - he sat second in playoff scoring heading into Monday, two points behind linemate Evgeny Kuznetsov’s 24 - the 32-year-old Ovechkin has done just that in pretty much every facet of his game with a willingness to go the extra mile for the team. “I try to do my best in the regular year, in the playoffs,” he said. “Of course in the playoffs, you don’t have tomorrow.”
But for all the talk of defensive work, passion and leading by example, Ovechkin still gets paid handsomely to score goals. The seven-time Richard Trophy winner has 607 of them in 1,003 career regular-season games to sit 19th all-time. Another 49 goals next season would tie him with Brendan Shanahan for 13th.
“He has that ability to see past the block, see past the goalie,” Trotz said. “Some of the better goal scorers in this league don’t see goalies, they just see empty spots. Guys that aren’t goal scorers, they see the goalie.
“Alex has that ability to look beyond what’s there.” Trotz said he sees a freedom in Ovechkin, who got married in July, that wasn’t present in the past when the Capitals were having great regular seasons before falling well short of their playoff goals.
“He’s very, very comfortable on this stage,” Trotz said. “He’s very comfortable (with) what he’s doing. He’s very comfortable within our group. And he’s very comfortable pushing forward and not worrying about anything else.” Ovechkin was also very comfortable when he met the media on Sunday, just over 24 hours before Game 1 against Vegas.