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GR8TNESS: Watch the epic ESPN trailer previewing its special on Alex Ovechkin and his chase of Wayne Gretzky’s goals record

By Ian Oland

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January 28, 2023 5:46 pm

After botching the telecast of Alex Ovechkin’s historic 800th career goal game, ESPN is making things right by creating a highly-produced, hour-long special on the Capitals captain. Entitled GR8TNESS, the special will air on network television, ABC, right before the NHL All-Star Game on February 4 at 2 pm (EST).

Former NHL goaltender and ESPN contributor Kevin Weekes posted the trailer on his Twitter account Friday.

“As the Great 8 tries to catch the Great One, @Ovi8 sits down with yours truly as part of an exclusive 1-hour @NHL on @ESPN documentary #GR8TNESS,” Weekes wrote. “Check out this fire trailer!”

The trailer is indeed fire. Like I’m about to run through a brick wall right now.

The clip begins with Ovechkin and Weekes sitting in high-backed, regal chairs a month after the Russian superstar scored his 800th career goal and passed Gordie Howe to become second on the NHL’s all-time goals list.

Weekes asks Ovechkin simply: What’s it like to score an NHL goal?

“Every time, is a great feeling,” Ovechkin says. “If I hit the goalie, he’s lucky. If I hit an empty spot, it’s in.”

He adds, “Sometimes I look at the milestones, but I’m not done yet.”

Other NHL stars put Ovechkin over in the feature including Auston Matthews and Ovi’s biggest rival, Sidney Crosby.

“Every year it doesn’t matter: 50 goals, 50 goals,” Matthews observes.

“If you asked me that 15 years ago, I would have thought no chance,” Crosby says of someone catching Wayne Gretzky’s goals record. “But [Ovi] is going to make a run at it.”

Ovechkin’s longtime teammate, TJ Oshie, also makes an appearance to state the obvious.

“I think Ovi will be remembered as the greatest goal-scorer of all time,” Oshie says.

It’s unclear how much new ground the special will cover for Caps fans. The trailer features a lot of highlights from the past. Some of the NHL player interviews are from Media Day conducted before the season.

But the grandness of the trailer and the epicness of the story-telling by The Worldwide Leader in Sports indicates it will be fun and provide valuable historical context putting Ovechkin’s accomplishments further into perspective. The feature will also be notable simply for what it is — an hour-long national special on a Capitals player — which is believed to be a first for the franchise. Ovechkin’s getting the same treatment his idol, basketball superstar Michael Jordan, got in the 90s.

“What once seemed impossible now seems entirely probable.”

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