OVECHKIN FINALLY UNLEASHED
Washington veteran pours it on as Caps accelerate in race to make it to Cup final
It’s somewhat hard to argue that Alex Ovechkin has endured a career of hardships, what with his seven Rocket Richard trophies, three regular-season MVP awards and the safety net of a 13year contract worth a whopping US$124 million.
Then you look at his playoff resumé. In his first nine postseason appearances, Ovechkin never made it out of the second round. In seven of those years, his season ended in heartbreaking Game 7 fashion. He’s been swept by the Tampa Bay Lightning, been upset by eighthseeded Montreal Canadiens and three times lost to Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins, who then went on to win the Stanley Cup.
Ovechkin, who has been flashing that trademarked gaptoothed grin more and more these days, seems a whole lot happier. Thanks to his two goals and four points in the Eastern Conference final, the Washington Capitals stole both games on the road against Tampa Bay and headed back home for Game 3 Tuesday needing just two more wins to reach the Stanley Cup final for the first time in 20 years. “He’s obviously having fun,” said Capitals head coach Barry Trotz. “He’s producing, he’s all in. We asked our group. If you’re going to have success, you have to have all-in contributions and he has. I think he’s enjoying the run, the playoffs maybe for the first time in a long time. He’s the face of the franchise and as the face of the franchise you get a lot of credit, but you also get a lot of the blame. And because of that, I think at times it’s taken the joy out of it.”
This isn’t the Ovechkin we thought we knew. He isn’t getting frustrated, he isn’t being called out for his lack of effort, lack of leadership and inability to come up big when it matters the most. He had a goal and an assist in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final. In Game 2, with the Lightning switching up their defensive matchups, he did the same.
“We just couldn’t slow him down,” said Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper.
It’s not an overstatement to say the Capitals, who have been without top centre Nicklas Backstrom for the past three games, wouldn’t be here without Ovechkin. In Game 7 against the Penguins, it was Ovechkin who set up Evgeny Kuznetsov for the overtime winner. With 10 goals and 19 points, he has joined Vegas’ Marc-Andre Fleury and Winnipeg ’s Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck as the early front-runners for the Conn Smythe Trophy.
As Cooper said, it’s as if he has taken “14 years of frustration” out on this year’s playoffs. “There’s a reason he has 600 goals and he’s done all these wonderful things in the league,” said Cooper. “In the past, he’s not had playoff success and when you do get to taste a little bit of it, it really tastes good.”
“I think if we’re being serious here, I think getting past that second round is a relief for him,” Capitals defenceman Matt Niskanen said of Ovechkin. “I think beating Pittsburgh was a huge deal for him. We earned that. That’s a good feeling for all of us. We’re excited to be here, we’re excited for what we accomplished … so far we’re really taking advantage of it.”
At 32, Ovechkin isn’t getting younger. He led the league with 49 goals this year, but he probably doesn’t have many more 50-goal seasons in him. The team around him might be changing, too. Capitals defenceman John Carlson and heart-and-soul forward Jay Beagle are both pending unrestricted free agents, so there is the possibility this could be Ovechkin’s best — and perhaps last — chance at winning a championship.
That could explain the sense of urgency in his game. No question, he’s enjoyed a hall of fame career. At the same time, there exists a Cup-sized hole in his professional resumé that would put him on par with Crosby, Wayne Gretzky and the game’s other greats.
“I think a lot of people define careers that way,” said Trotz. “I said earlier that the way I look at it is the way you live your life, the way you do things, how you’ve done them. That should define you, not trophies. Those are things that, to me, are nice, but in the bigger scheme it’s about the person, friends, family and teammates. That’s what really defines a career for me.”
It’s a nice thought. And yet, for Ovechkin, an even nicer thought is hoisting the one trophy that has eluded him.
In the past, he’s not had playoff success and when you do get to taste a little bit of it, it really tastes good.