Failing to exceed Wayne Gretzky’s 894 career goals, Alexander Ovechkin knocked off another mark of “the Wonder” on Tuesday night, that of the nets on the road.
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By hitting the target twice in a 5-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks, the Washington Capitals captain tied and then beat Gretzky’s 402 total. The Russian scored every time in the first half.
“It’s always nice to beat ‘la Merveille’. Regardless of the kind of record, it’s historic,” reacted Ovechkin as usual, in a few words, during a press briefing.
It is also Ovi’s 792nd and 793rd career goals. He thus registered more outside the Capital One Arena. Does he feel less pressure abroad than in front of supporters in Washington? Hard to tell, but he seems to be having a lot of fun away from the American capital.
“Looks like we’re still having fun on the road. We are spending more time together and I think everyone likes that,” he said.
A reaction to the height
Ovechkin celebrated his two goals rather soberly, not being used to paying attention to records. However, head coach Peter Laviolette reminded everyone following the game of the importance of this feat in the locker room.
His teammates gave him a nice ovation, proud of their leader.
“I think he has 13 goals this year and I would say eight or nine were new records,” Dylan Strome said when asked by the National Hockey League website. I’m sure you’ll see the video of the reaction we had following the game when we found out. Passing Wayne Gretzky deserves a standing ovation.”
«[Ce record] is surreal […], mentioned forward Anthony Mantha. I don’t think he knew until the end of the game, so it’s good for him. Obviously, he will still break many records.
As one Capitals player yelled during post-game celebrations, he doesn’t care like Ovechkin anymore.