Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin is passing up on the chance to capitalize on the record-breaking goal he scored Sunday.
Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record by scoring his 895th career goal Sunday against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. Ovechkin was part of the in-game ceremony after scoring the goal, but do not expect to see him promoting his achievement elsewhere right now.
In an appearance on 106.7 The Fan on Monday, Capitals owner Ted Leonsis relayed a story of how Ovechkin turned down a number of national media appearances, including “The Tonight Show,” after scoring the record-setting goal. Ovechkin prefers to focus on locking in with his teammates ahead of the team’s upcoming playoff run.
Great anecdote from @TedLeonsis on the show just now:
— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) April 7, 2025
Ovi turned down the Tonight Show and other major national media opps since breaking the record so that he can lock in with his teammates for the playoff run that will be starting as soon as they're back on Thursday.
Ovechkin would be well within his rights to take something of a victory lap right now. However, he hardly needs the publicity, and his priorities are elsewhere. He deserves credit for that.
The Capitals have nearly locked up the Metropolitan Division title and are likely to be the No. 1 team in the Eastern Conference. They have a legitimate chance to challenge for the Stanley Cup this season, and Ovechkin does not want his personal accomplishment hurting those chances.
The classy way in which Ovechkin has accomplished the milestone has not gone unnoticed. He even passed up the chance to set the record at home, and did so purely on principle.
