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Vasily Ponomarev’s first NHL goal comes in same building he watched first NHL game: ‘I saw how Ovi and Sid score and I just dreamed big’

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The Carolina Hurricanes were already up 5-2 with just over a minute remaining in regulation. On the road against the Washington Capitals, rookie forward Vasily Ponomarev then jumped over the boards. Ponomarev, who had already picked up his first NHL point earlier in the contest, completed the touchdown for Carolina with his first NHL goal on what had to be a whirlwind night for the 21-year-old Russian.

Ponomarev only got notified of his recall to the NHL hours before puck drop in DC and arrived to Capital One Arena from AHL Chicago less than two hours before warmups were scheduled to begin.

Not only did he respond with the special moment of scoring his first NHL goal but he did so in the same building that he attended his first ever NHL game in as a fan seven years prior.

“My first [NHL] game that I saw in real life was Washington against Pittsburgh here,” Ponomarev said postgame. “It was a playoff game and I saw how Ovi and Sid score and I just dreamed big. And right now, I understand how you have to dream big to be maybe in 10 years in this situation like they are.”

Back in 2017, Ponomarev was a U15 player attending the World Selects Invitational in the Philadelphia area with his Moscow Regional Selects team. Around the same time that invitational was taking place, the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins were facing off in what would be their second of three straight, second-round playoff series.

The game that Ponomarev likely remembers attending was Game One of that series. That game, played at the then Verizon Center, was the only one of seven that both Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby scored in. Pittsburgh came out on top 3-2 after a late Nick Bonino goal.

Fast forward to 2024 and now Ponomarev was on the opposite bench to Ovechkin and scoring on the same ice that as a kid he watched Ovechkin score on. With just 59 seconds left in the third period, Ponomarev broke in on a two-on-one, odd-man break with Jesperi Kotkaniemi after Capitals defenseman Joel Edmundson fumbled the puck at center ice.

Kotkaniemi brought the puck into the zone and with Ethan Bear committed to one side, fed the puck right into Ponomarev’s wheelhouse. The Moscow-born sniper made no mistake, rifling a shot to the top shelf before Darcy Kuemper could even get over to try and stop it.

“I just was happy,” Ponomarev said of the experience. “Maybe it looks like I’m not nervous every time, but I’m nervous every time.”

The Hurricanes drafted Ponomarev in the second round of the 2020 NHL Draft. He has spent parts of the last three seasons in the AHL with primarily the Chicago Wolves. This season with the Wolves, the young Russian is a point-per-game player, recording 20 points (6g, 14a) in 20 games.

Carolina had previously planned to give Ponomarev a good look at their NHL roster earlier in the year but he suffered a knee injury in September before they could truly evaluate whether he was NHL ready or not. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour raved about his young winger after the win.

“Love seeing that,” Brind’Amour said. “We love this kid. He’s been around for awhile, a couple years. He came to camp and then he got injured. Tough break for him, couldn’t really see what he was about and then he’s just been playing really well waiting for his time and he earned his game tonight. Huge impact. Great memory for him. I’m really happy for him.”

Ponomarev is up with Carolina after the Hurricanes learned they would be without both Stefan Noesen (illness) and Martin Necas (upper-body injury) against the Capitals. Carolina will get right back on the ice at home on Saturday night as they host the St. Louis Blues.

Screenshot via @Canes/X

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