Alex Ovechkin is one of the best players in NHL history, but Washington Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery says what truly makes him special goes far beyond goals and assists.
Carbery delved into his relationship with Ovechkin during a guest appearance on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast on Tuesday. He even called the legendary Capitals captain a “coach’s dream” when telling a story about how he and Ovechkin worked through Carbery’s first year as an NHL head coach with the Caps.
“We were struggling my first year,” Carbery said. “We’re trying to find ourselves a little bit early in the year, and I remember we’re going into Chicago, and he texts me. O is like a coach’s dream when it comes to a captain. Because he’ll come in, and we’ll talk once every two days. So in Chicago, first year, we’re struggling; we lose, and we got a back-to-back. I think we get in pushing [two in the morning]. And he’s like, ‘Hey, uh, Carbs, can we meet?’ And I’m like, ‘Now? We gotta game tomorrow.’ He’s like, ‘Yeah, I’ll come up to your room.’
“He rolls in, and he’s like, ‘Hey, listen, like we’re going through a tough stretch. Our roster is a little bit different. We’ve got some young players that are trying to find their way. Get me out on the ice as much as you can. I will get the job done.’ He’s like, ‘Trust me, trust John, trust Stromer, and we will guide our team through this difficult time.’ And I was like, ‘Okay, I got you, let’s go, we’re going to stay in this fight.’ We ended up making the playoffs that year, but it was touch-and-go. Like, credit to him and our veteran group, our leadership.”
The game against the Blackhawks that Carbery is referring to occurred on December 10, 2023, although the Caps head coach has one detail wrong in his story: the team had actually won the night prior, not lost, taking down the New York Rangers 4-0 on home ice. However, before that win, they had lost three in a row to the Dallas Stars, Arizona Coyotes, and Vegas Golden Knights by a combined 15-5 score.
After the conversation with Ovechkin, where Carbery was urged to give the team’s leader even more responsibility, the bench boss did just that. Ovechkin would play 22:10 of ice time against the Philadelphia Flyers on December 14 and 23:07 of ice time against the Nashville Predators on December 16. He only played more than 23:07 of ice time in two other games that season.
Ovechkin would post 65 points (31g, 34a) in 79 games during the 2023-24 campaign, trailing only Dylan Strome (67) for the team lead in scoring. The Capitals made the playoffs with a win in their final regular-season game, setting the salary cap era record as the team with the worst goal differential (minus-37) to qualify for the postseason.
Carbery also spoke further about how exactly Ovechkin sets the tone for the Capitals and how much of a help he was for a rookie NHL head coach.
“He’ll text me, ‘Hey, let’s chat this morning, or I’ll text him – one or the other,” Carbery said. “Anytime that we’re talking about the group or him or line combinations, this and that, he always goes, ‘You’re the coach. You tell me what to do, and we’ll do it, and I’ll go out and say it.’
“Even if we agree or disagree, he’s like, ‘You’re the guy, and I’m going to go echo what you’re talking about into the room.’ Someone like him, with his stature, as a young head coach in the league – I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is a blessing.’ So fortunate to have that.”
The 2026-27 season could be Carbery’s final year getting to work with Ovechkin, as the soon-to-be 41-year-old winger signed what is likely his final contract with the Capitals this past July.
Through his leadership, though, Ovechkin would leave an incredibly tight-knit locker room with emerging leaders, especially in the form of Tom Wilson, who should continue to pass down the great culture Ovechkin helped instill.
