Washington Capitals: Alex Ovechkin cements legacy as all-time great

Now that Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin has won a Stanley Cup, his legacy is unquestionable

Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin has been called many things throughout his career. The Great Eight. Alexander The Great. Choker. A bad leader. Now, when people talk about Ovechkin, there’s a new title he’ll be going by – Stanley Cup champion.

Ever since he joined the league in 2005, he’s been one of the NHL’s brightest stars. With his goal scoring, physical style of play, and emotional celebrations, Ovechkin immediately stood out. Few could shoot the puck like him. Even fewer loved to score as much as he did.

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It only took three seasons for Ovechkin to take the Capitals to the postseason. However, they kept on falling short. Though it was not Ovechkin’s fault, he was the guy who drew a lot of the criticism. From 2005 to 2017, he never played in a postseason game past the second round.

This wasn’t Ovechkin’s fault, either. Even before his magical 2018 postseason, he was among the active leaders in postseason goals, points, goals per game, and points per game. But Ovechkin rarely had the proper supporting cast to win. It seemed like he did in 2017, but fate was cruel to him, as two injuries hampered his play.

For Ovechkin, the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs resembled the 12 labors of Hercules. In the first round, the Capitals had to beat a team coached by John Tortorella, who had given them trouble in the past. They lost their first two games at home. The Capitals proceeded to win their next four games, with Ovechkin scoring two goals in the Game 6 clincher.

Next, the Caps faced the team who had eliminated them in each of the previous two Stanley Cup Playoffs – the Pittsburgh Penguins. Ovechkin picked up three goals and seven points in the six-game series. This included a huge assist on Evgeny Kuznetsov’s series-clinching goal.

Against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Ovechkin once again came through in the deciding game. He scored seconds into Game 7 and the Capitals never looked back. For the first time in his career, Ovechkin made it to the Stanley Cup Final.

The bright lights of the Stanley Cup Final didn’t blind him one bit. For the fourth straight series, Alex Ovechkin held the goal-scoring lead for the Washington Capitals, putting in three goals in five games. (Devante Smith-Pelly also had three goals). Ovi led the NHL in goals during both the regular season and postseason.

Even Ovechkin’s harshest critics must admit he deserves a place among the greatest hockey players of all-time. No longer does he carry the label of “best player to never win a Stanley Cup”.

With his Stanley Cup, Ovechkin has answered all of his critics. He didn’t need a Stanley Cup to cement his legacy as one of the greatest to ever put on hockey skates. But Ovechkin got one anyway. And now that he has one, he’s unmistakenly an all-time great.

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