Capitals play-by-play announcer Joe Beninati estimates that he’s called more than ninety percent of Alex Ovechkin‘s goals so far. On Tuesday morning, Elliot Segal of Elliot in the Morning asked Joe B what the chances are he’ll be able to call goals 894 and 895, as Ovechkin ties and passes Wayne Gretzky for the all-time goal lead. “It’s gonna hurt,” Joe B said, if he doesn’t get to call the big ones.
“We want to be there for all of it, leading up to 894 and 895. Desperately.”
Caps games are shown on Monumental Sports Network unless a NHL partner has paid for exclusive national broadcasting rights. As we near the big day, those networks are calling dibs on more games. “Four of the last six games of the regular season [are national exclusives],” Beninati told EITM. “They obviously were selected because there was a thought process that maybe Alex would be in that neighborhood.”
Here’s the schedule for the final month of the season, with national exclusives highlighted.
| Date | Opp | Time | Networks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat Mar 15 | @ | SJS | 5:00 PM | MNMT, NBCSCA |
| Tue Mar 18 | vs | DET | 7:00 PM | MNMT, FDSNDET |
| Thu Mar 20 | vs | PHI | 7:00 PM | MNMT, NBCSP |
| Sat Mar 22 | vs | FLA | 5:00 PM | MNMT, SCRIPPS |
| Tue Mar 25 | @ | WPG | 8:00 PM | MNMT |
| Thu Mar 27 | @ | MIN | 7:30 PM | ESPN+, HULU, MNMT2 |
| Sun Mar 30 | vs | BUF | 3:00 PM | MNMT, MSG-B |
| Tue Apr 01 | @ | BOS | 7:00 PM | MNMT, NESN |
| Wed Apr 02 | @ | CAR | 7:00 PM | MNMT, FDSNSO |
| Fri Apr 04 | vs | CHI | 7:00 PM | MNMT, CHSN |
| Sun Apr 06 | @ | NYI | 12:30 PM | TNT, Tru, Max |
| Thu Apr 10 | vs | CAR | 7:30 PM | ESPN+, HULU |
| Sat Apr 12 | @ | CBJ | 12:30 PM | ABC, ESPN |
| Sun Apr 13 | vs | CBJ | 6:00 PM | MNMT, FDSNOH |
| Tue Apr 15 | @ | NYI | 8:00 PM | ESPN |
| Thu Apr 17 | @ | PIT | 7:00 PM | ESPN, MNMT |
The schedule was changed just recently, as ESPN and ABC jockey for the chance to air the milestone goals in early April. And it will likely change more. “If [Ovechkin]’s sitting at 890 or 891,” Beninati said, “you could imagine that the networks would like to flex out of whatever games they’ve got and would go side-by-side with Monumental.”
Side-by-side is critical. If the big partners want to cover more games, they’ll do so in addition to – not instead of – Monumental.
“The reverse, I don’t believe, will be allowed, although I wish it would,” Beninati says. “I know that Monumental would be asking. Let’s say [Ovechkin]’s got a shot at doing it on April 6 on Long Island. Can Monumental jump in side-by-side with whoever has that game? ABC, ESPN, TNT? I don’t think so. That’s what the exclusivity that was paid for was all about.
“If it’s on a national exclusive, it’s gonna hurt. It’s gonna hurt for everybody.”
Ovechkin is 11 goals shy of the tying goal. If he were to continue at his current pace (0.71 goals per game, a three-way tie for second best in his career), he’d catch Gretzky on April 1 in Boston, a Monumental game. There are two more Monumental games after that (at Carolina and hosting Chicago), and then four of the next five are exclusive.
Beninati compares the thought of missing the milestone goals to not calling the Capitals’ Stanley Cup championship in 2018.
“That was one of the greatest, greatest, greatest nights of my life, and professionally one of the worst nights. To not be able to call that game is crushing. To not be able to call and be a part of a Monumental Sports Network broadcast of this event would be crushing.”
The final game of the season is a Monumental broadcast, against Pittsburgh, who have a one percent chance of making the playoffs, according to HockeyViz, and are expected to be sellers at the trade deadline.
Here’s hoping it happens then, or any other night Joe B is on duty, preferably with Craig Laughlin at his flank, and Wes Johnson on the mic.
Thanks to EITM for sharing the interview. You’re the best.
