An incredible achievement by Ovechkin! He had 700 assists in the NHL, joining the company of the greats
Elena Kuznetsova October 16, 2024, 06:10 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
Alexander became the sixth player in league history to score 700+700 in his career.
Washington had a poor start to the 2024/2025 regular season, losing at home to New Jersey 3-5, after which Spencer Carbery decided to radically change the lines. In particular, team captain Alexander Ovechkin found himself on the unusual right side of the attack during training before the game against Vegas. Alexei Protas was on the left side of the first line, while Dylan Strome remained in the center.
Experiments of this type were already carried out in Washington about ten years ago, but in the end they did not last long. But Ovechkin now doesn’t seem to mind such a change: “We just changed the links. We have more options to choose the right combinations. “It’s the beginning of the year, there are new faces in the team, so we need to find the right combinations, the right chemistry.”
But in the match itself, Spencer Carbery still didn’t reinvent the wheel and, for the most part, unleashed his captain on the usual left flank, although he also had some shifts on the right. “I don’t mind. The first few turns I thought: wow! I’m always drawn to the left flank, but we’ll see how it goes,” Ovechkin later shared his impressions. But today he performed all his feats from the left wing, achieving another great achievement.
The game began with a goal by Jakub Vrana, his first after returning to Washington, where he began his career. Andrew Mangiapane took the puck from a Las Vegas defender near the boards in the opposing zone and gave the Czech a perfect pass to shoot. He took a good swing and hit Edin Hill.
The “Knights” responded with a power goal, scoring the first penalty for the locals at the end of the first half, and in the second it was Ovechkin’s time. He first assisted Tom Wilson on the power play.
Video rights belong to NHL Enterprises, LP. You can watch the video on the NHL website.
And just two minutes later he completed his 700th assist: he turned Zach Whitecloud in the corner (today was clearly not his day) and sent the puck past two more Las Vegas players directly to the stick of Protas, who was already waiting for the pass and He immediately made a forceful shot.
Video rights belong to NHL Enterprises, LP. You can watch the video on the NHL website.
Yes, Ovechkin has been making waves around the world as a unique sniper for 20 years, but he also has plenty of assists. Including others as beautiful and masterful as this one. “When you play hockey for 20 years, I’m sure you’d hit that mark too. Yes, the number is impressive. It’s nice to be in that company,” Ovi said after the game.
Of course, Ovi lies. Not everyone who can play for 20 years has the possibility of making 700 passes in the best league in the world. There are already 60 such players in the history of the NHL and those who, in addition to 700 assists, scored at least 700 goals, can be counted on one hand. Before Ovechkin, only five players had achieved this feat: Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe, Jaromir Jagr, Phil Esposito and Marcel Dionne. Really good company.
Vegas’s suffering did not end there; another Caps newcomer, Jacob Chickran, scored next. This goal was the first for his new team. A minute later, Jack Eichel reduced the deficit, but that was the end of the goals that rained down like a cornucopia in those four minutes.
Video rights belong to NHL Enterprises, LP. You can watch the video on the NHL website.
“Washington” brought the matter to victory, although the rival put all its strength into the attack in the third period and interrupted the streak of three consecutive victories of Vegas since the beginning of the season. An ideal evening for Moscow fans!
