Capitals’ Spencer Carbery: Alex Ovechkin wants to break record ‘with a goaltender in the crease’

One of the best goal-scorers wants to become the greatest on his own terms.

On Friday night against the Chicago Blackhawks, Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin tied the seemingly unreachable mark of 894 goals set by the legend Wayne Gretzky.

However, there was an opportunity for the GR8 to surpass The Great One, completing what would’ve been a memorable hat trick, on home ice no less. The record-tying goal, Ovechkin’s second of the night, put the Capitals up by one, and everyone and their mother believed the record was going to fall with a patened…empty-net goal.

However, there was an interesting moment that occurred not long after Ovechkin and his team were done celebrating goal No. 894. Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery came to the end of the bench and appeared to have a brief conversation with Ovechkin. Then, with under two minutes to go in regulation, with the Blackhawks set to pull the goaltender for the extra attacker, longtime Caps play-by-play voice Joe Beninati noticed Ovi potentially saying no to Carbery about staying on the ice, joining the rest of his teammates on the bench.

That led to a different memorable moment, as rookie Ryan Leonard, who recently signed his entry-level contract after leaving Boston College, scored his first NHL goal, putting the Capitals up 5-3.

After the game, Carbery confirmed that Ovechkin didn’t want to break the record in a rather anti-climactic fashion.

“He wants to break the record with a goaltender in the crease,” Carbery said. “Which I appreciate. … Being at home, it’s hard being as coaches, I just wanted to make sure – [could’ve been] a hat trick at home – he didn’t want to go out and score on an empty-net to break the record.”

Ovechkin almost reached the milestone in the closing moments of the game. He registered four shot attempts in the final minute-plus of the third but couldn’t beat Hawks netminder Spencer Knight.

It would’ve been par for the course to see Ovechkin break the record with no one between the pipes. The Russian winger is the league’s all-time leader in empty-net goals with 65, having passed Gretzky’s previous record of 56 last season. Ovi scored the 802nd goal of his career, leapfrogging Gordie Howe, with an empty-net goal in December 2022. The 39-year-old has eight empty-netters so far this season.

So, the GR8 Chase will continue for another game. Ovi, now with 41 goals on the season – placing him third in the NHL – has a chance to pass Gretzky on Sunday, on the road, against the New York Islanders. There are two more regular-season home games for the Capitals, six overall, with Washington returning home to face the Carolina Hurricanes next Thursday before welcoming the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday, April 13.