2004 NHL Draft

Ted Leonsis: Alex Ovechkin ate 8 cantaloupes after being picked by the Capitals first overall in the 2004 NHL Draft

The Washington Capitals held a digital press conference with Alex Ovechkin on Thursday, celebrating The Great 8’s five-year contract extension that will keep him in the District through 2026.

Hosted by NBC Sports Washington’s Joe Beninati and Craig Laughlin, the press conference served more like a live video podcast between Ovechkin and representatives from the Capitals organization, which included majority owner Ted Leonsis, president Dick Patrick, and GM Brian MacLellan.

The format allowed Leonsis, an emotional, sentimental, and articulate person, the opportunity to share several stories about Ovechkin from his past, including the first night he met him at the 2004 NHL Draft in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Ovechkin apparently was very hungry.

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By Ian Oland 2 years ago

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On this day 16 years ago, the Washington Capitals selected Alex Ovechkin with the first overall pick in the 2004 NHL Draft

The trajectory of the Washington Capitals’ franchise and the popularity of hockey locally changed forever 16 years ago to the day. On June 26, 2004, a Capitals delegation, led by general manager George McPhee, selected 18-year-old Russian Alex Ovechkin with the first overall pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.

The Caps won the right to select Ovi after a dreadful, rebuilding season which saw the team trade away all of its stars including Peter Bondra, Jaromir Jagr, Robert Lang, Sergei Gonchar, and Michal Nylander. Washington won only 23 of 82 games during the 2003-04 season — their worst campaign in 26 years. But it’d end up being worth it. The Capitals, who were the third-worst team in the NHL that year, would leapfrog both the Chicago Blackhawks and the Pittsburgh Penguins at the 2004 NHL Draft Lottery and win the first overall pick.

The draft, held at the Carolina Hurricanes’ RBC Center, was the NHL’s last event held before a long lockout, which canceled all games of the 2004-05 season. A raucous group of Capitals fans, including the Caps Road Crew and Sam “The Horn Guy” Wolk, traveled down to Raleigh, North Carolina, to cheer on the historic pick.

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By Ian Oland 3 years ago

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Five things you didn’t know about Alex Ovechkin’s selection at the 2004 NHL Draft

The 2019 NHL entry draft is Friday night in Vancouver. Before we look ahead to the Capitals’ 25th overall pick and the future of the franchise, let’s look back the 2004 draft and their first-overall pick: Alex Ovechkin.

We’ve covered this draft before, but here are some new (old) pieces of information that deserve another look. The year was 2004, the TV footage was grainy, and Raleigh, NC was about to echo with the sounds of “Let’s go Caps.”

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By Brennin Weiswerda 4 years ago

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14 years ago today, Alex Ovechkin was drafted first overall by the Washington Capitals

On June 26, 2004, the Washington Capitals forever changed the trajectory of their franchise by selecting Russian forward Alex Ovechkin first overall at the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. Ovechkin previously played for Moscow Dynamo of the Russian Super League.

The NHL Draft that year was held in Raleigh, North Carolina. A large contingent of Capitals fans traveled down to RBC Center to witness and cheer on the selection.

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By Rachel Cohen 5 years ago

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