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Ovechkin's Pursuit of Gretzky's Record Earns High Praise from Capitals Coach
Alex Ovechkin is closing in on NHL history, and with just a few goals to go, Spencer Carbery has praised him for the poise and class he's handled the chase with.
Arguably the biggest story of the 2024/25 NHL season thus far has been the red-hot run of Alex Ovechkin in his chase for the NHL's all-time goal scoring lead, with No. 8 now just eight goals back of Wayne Gretzky.
Given all of the talk and the attention that this chase has brought, no one would blame Ovechkin if this hurt the way he handled himself or played on the ice, but according to Head Coach Spencer Carbery, he has handled this entire chase perfectly.
But man, he's such a pro when he comes to this stuff and he's been down this road chasing different records, pressure, all this stuff. So, he handles it with such class and deflects it all and makes it more about what we're doing as a team.
This was evident when Ovechkin was asked about the play that saw him break his leg earlier in the season, as he handled that unfortunate situation with class, and now that he's just 8 goals back, he's continued in much of the same way.
When Ovi himself was asked about the chase and how it effects him and whether or not talking about the situation gets ridiculous, to which he responded in typical Ovechkin form.
"Well, we don't talk about it, you guys, you talk about it!"
It's been well known for a long, long time that Ovechkin was one of the best captains in the NHL for the way he carries himself on and off the ice, and despite all of the attention being on him, Carbery is making it clear that nothing has changed for The Great 8.
| POLL | ||
MARS 17 | 278 ANSWERS Ovechkin's Pursuit of Gretzky's Record Earns High Praise from Capitals Coach Will Alex Ovechkin officially make history in 2024/25? | ||
| Yes | 216 | 77.7 % |
| No | 62 | 22.3 % |
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