Twenty-one years ago, a fully-teethed Alex Ovechkin officially arrived in DC by breaking a pane of glass on his first shift and scoring twice in his NHL debut at age 20. The evening offered great promise to a fanbase that had watched the franchise tear itself down after a failed experiment with Jaromir Jagr.
On Wednesday night, no goals were scored, and no glass was shattered. Instead, Ovechkin’s sons, Sergei and Ilya, introduced their 41-year-old, grey-haired father, now sporting a trademark gap-toothed grin, to the Capital One Arena ice ahead of the final home opener of his legendary Capitals career.
A lot happened in between.
Ovechkin played in 21 of 22 Capitals home openers during that span (blame Kuzy and Sammy for the one he missed), scoring 20 goals and 31 points as Washington went 14-5-2 with him in the lineup.
Hat tricks and milestone goals dotted those performances, but perhaps the greatest night of all had nothing to do with individual accomplishments: it was the Stanley Cup banner raising in 2018 ahead of a matchup against the Boston Bruins.
His last home opener ended appropriately. The Capitals beat Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-3, vanquishing his greatest rival, just like he did his rookie year when he outperformed The Kid for the NHL’s Calder Trophy as rookie of the year. Ovechkin finished the evening with two shots and one hit in 14:05 of ice time.
Alex Ovechkin’s career stats in Capitals home openers
| Season | Date | Opponent | Result | G | A | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-06 | Oct. 5, 2005 | Columbus Blue Jackets | W, 3-2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2006-07 | Oct. 7, 2006 | Carolina Hurricanes | W, 5-2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2007-08 | Oct. 6, 2007 | Carolina Hurricanes | W, 2-0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2008-09 | Oct. 11, 2008 | Chicago Blackhawks | W, 4-2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2009-10 | Oct. 3, 2009 | Toronto Maple Leafs | W, 6-4 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 2010-11 | Oct. 9, 2010 | New Jersey Devils | W, 7-2 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 2011-12 | Oct. 8, 2011 | Carolina Hurricanes | W, 4-3 (OT) | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2012-13 | Jan. 22, 2013 | Winnipeg Jets | L, 2-4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013-14 | Oct. 3, 2013 | Calgary Flames | W, 5-4 (SO) | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 2014-15 | Oct. 9, 2014 | Montreal Canadiens | OTL, 1-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015-16 | Oct. 10, 2015 | New Jersey Devils | W, 5-3 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2016-17 | Oct. 15, 2016 | New York Islanders | W, 2-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017-18 | Oct. 7, 2017 | Montreal Canadiens | W, 6-1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 2018-19 | Oct. 3, 2018 | Boston Bruins | W, 7-0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2019-20 | Oct. 5, 2019 | Carolina Hurricanes | OTL, 2-3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020-21 | Jan. 22, 2021 | Buffalo Sabres | W, 4-3 | DNP — COVID protocol | ||
| 2021-22 | Oct. 13, 2021 | New York Rangers | W, 5-1 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 2022-23 | Oct. 12, 2022 | Boston Bruins | L, 2-5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023-24 | Oct. 13, 2023 | Pittsburgh Penguins | L, 0-4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024-25 | Oct. 12, 2024 | New Jersey Devils | L, 3-5 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025-26 | Oct. 8, 2025 | Boston Bruins | L, 1-3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2026-27 | Oct. 7, 2026 | Pittsburgh Penguins | W, 5-3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career: | 20 | 11 | 31 | |||
Alex Ovechkin’s defining home-opener moments
Oct. 5, 2005 — NHL debut, vs. Columbus
Ovechkin broke a pane of glass with a hit on his first shift, then scored two goals in a 3–2 win. His first NHL goal came on a one-timer from the left side — a pretty perfect bit of foreshadowing for what followed.
Oct. 9, 2010 — First home opener as Capitals captain
Ovechkin scored twice and added an assist in a 7–2 blowout of New Jersey, which saw Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender Martin Brodeur get pulled from the game. One goal came on a penalty shot, and the other was a highlight-reel move that broke a 2–2 tie. Maybe Martin should not have complained about the mirror-tinted visor? At that point, Ovechkin had scored in every home opener of his career — 10 goals in an incredible 6-game run.
Oct. 7, 2017 — Four goals against Montreal
Ovechkin saved his greatest home-opening performance for his most special season in the NHL. He completed a hat trick before the first period was over, then added a fourth goal in the second. Combined with his hat trick two nights earlier in Ottawa, he became the first NHL player in 100 years to open a season with consecutive hat tricks. Washington won 6–1.
Oct. 3, 2018 — Stanley Cup banner night
This night was less about stats and more about immortality. After defeating the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2018 Stanley Cup Final, Ovechkin triumphantly skated the Cup onto the ice months later after the Summer of Ovi, kissing it one last time and helping raise Washington’s first championship banner. Then he scored in a 7–0 destruction of Boston, tying Dino Ciccarelli with career goal No. 608.
Oct. 13, 2021 — Passing Marcel Dionne
Ovechkin put up two goals and two assists against the Rangers. His goals were Nos. 731 and 732, moving him past Marcel Dionne into fifth place on the NHL’s all-time goals list. One was on the power play; hilariously, the other was shorthanded — his first shorty since 2008–09.
Oct. 7, 2026 — Final home opener
Ovechkin didn’t record a point — he’s only posted one, an assist, during the past 5 home openers combined — but the Capitals beat Sidney Crosby and Pittsburgh 5–3, and the emotional centerpiece came before puck drop when Sergei and Ilya Ovechkin introduced their father to the Capital One Arena crowd. He hugged both boys before joining his teammates at center ice. It was his 21st home opener played and his 101st overall meeting with Crosby — the player he’ll forever be intertwined with.
