Player Discussion Alexander Ovechkin (Vol. 4)

[895]

He would be sticking us with the 9.5m cap hit if he retires. So he’s not gonna do that

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

He would be sticking us with the 9.5m cap hit if he retires. So he’s not gonna do that

Honestly I’m envisioning a farewell tour as he goes around the league next year, gifts given to him prior to last game in each building.

 

[Midnight Judges]

Greed is for americans...

Uh, what?

 

[Ridley Simon]

If they already has a ton of money?
Greed is for americans...
If he feels he wants time with his son instead of being away from home hakf the year?

No chance man. Like zero.

He’s a competitor. He loves this team. He loves to win. They are the top team in the NHL right now, so they obv have a decent team.

Zero chance he’d walk away from this team, once he started a season.

Stop trying with this one, sir.

 

[John Price]

Inside the Washington Capitals' stunning retool on the fly around Alex Ovechkin

Rather than ice a roster merely helping Ovi break Gretzky's record, the Caps have been one of the NHL's best. Here's how they threaded the needle.

www.espn.com

If Alex Ovechkin was going to shatter Wayne Gretzky's NHL career goals record as a member of the Washington Capitals, he had some conditions that needed to be met.

Before re-signing, Ovechkin told Capitals owner Ted Leonsis that he didn't want to be "a third-line guy playing 8 to 10 minutes a game." He didn't want to be someone the team "trotted out on the power play" just to pad his goal totals, according to Leonsis.

Most of all, he didn't want to play for a rebuilding team. Before signing a five-year contract extension in 2021, he asked Leonsis to promise him that the owner would keep the team competitive, that the Capitals would be the annual playoff contender they had been for most of Ovechkin's career. In turn, he promised Leonsis that he'd stay in shape and that his eyes wouldn't be fixated on breaking Gretzky's record of 894 goals, but on bringing another Stanley Cup to Washington.

 

[kicksavedave]

Uh, what?

he's right.

 

[Midnight Judges]

he's right.

Culturally, yes. Institutionally, yes. Politically, &*^% yes. (ugh).

Imputing that trait onto individuals is a bridge too far though IMO. I wouldn't say that (or much of anything) about an individual just due to their place of birth.

 

[Calicaps]

Inside the Washington Capitals' stunning retool on the fly around Alex Ovechkin

Rather than ice a roster merely helping Ovi break Gretzky's record, the Caps have been one of the NHL's best. Here's how they threaded the needle.

www.espn.com

If Alex Ovechkin was going to shatter Wayne Gretzky's NHL career goals record as a member of the Washington Capitals, he had some conditions that needed to be met.

Before re-signing, Ovechkin told Capitals owner Ted Leonsis that he didn't want to be "a third-line guy playing 8 to 10 minutes a game." He didn't want to be someone the team "trotted out on the power play" just to pad his goal totals, according to Leonsis.

Most of all, he didn't want to play for a rebuilding team. Before signing a five-year contract extension in 2021, he asked Leonsis to promise him that the owner would keep the team competitive, that the Capitals would be the annual playoff contender they had been for most of Ovechkin's career. In turn, he promised Leonsis that he'd stay in shape and that his eyes wouldn't be fixated on breaking Gretzky's record of 894 goals, but on bringing another Stanley Cup to Washington.

So much goodness. We're a lucky fanbase. But once again we see how the hockey media ignores the Caps. Everyone being caught off guard proves that they assumed the Caps were just mindlessly filling roster spots instead of making strategic moves.