Nicklas Backstrom recently reflected on Alex Ovechkin’s historic career during a press conference last week at MedStar Capitals Iceplex.
Backstrom revealed during the chat that he would begin traveling with the Capitals when Ovi nears breaking Wayne Gretzky’s goals record. He also shared insight on what it was like playing with The Great 8.
“Biggest takeaway was probably explaining to him that he wasn’t always open, but he wanted the puck the whole time,” he joked.
Backstrom named some of his favorite things about playing with the legendary left wing. Winning the Stanley Cup and sharing a hug on the ice with Ovechkin afterward in 2018 was his favorite moment. He also named his favorite Ovechkin goal.
“Favorite Ovi goal was probably the one he did against Montreal when he banked it and spun around, and then I think he was scoring laying down,” Backstrom said. “I mean, that’s when I was a part of the team.”
The specific Ovechkin tally that Backstrom refers to came in a Washington Capitals’ 4-3 shootout win over the Montreal Canadiens on February 18, 2009.
In front of 18,277 inside the then-Verizon Center, Ovechkin collected an errant pass from Canadiens defenseman Mike Komisarek and then made magic with some quick thinking. On his backhand, Ovi banked the puck off the side boards into empty space, making a spin move around Canadiens defenseman Roman Hamrlik and springing himself on a semi-breakaway. Habs forward Kyle Chipchura hustled back and checked Ovechkin to the ice, yet Ovi stayed with the puck while sliding on his keister, sending a shot past goaltender Carey Price.
The goal was Ovechkin’s 42nd of the 2008-09 season — in what would become his second-best campaign in the NHL, where he tallied 56 goals and 110 points. Backstrom would score a power-play goal and the game-clinching shootout goal in the victory. Other notable players suiting up in that game for the Capitals included Sergei Fedorov, Alexander Semin, Mike Green, and José Théodore.
Backstrom was also a fan of Ovechkin’s most viral scoar of his career, The Goal, but it didn’t make his list for good reason.
“He obviously scored an incredible goal against Phoenix, too, but I wasn’t part of the team,” Backstrom said. “So it doesn’t count.”
