Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin unleashed his trademark gap-toothed grin as National Hockey League deputy commissioner Bill Daly presented him with the Presidents’ Trophy.
Awarded annually to the NHL team with the best regular-season record, the trophy sat on a table at center ice during a ceremony before Friday night’s game against the Atlanta Thrashers at Verizon Center.
Ovechkin’s smile was deceiving, though. The Caps’ captain deigned not to touch the prize at all. In fact, he hardly even glanced at it before skating away to a loud ovation from the sellout crowd. There is only one trophy the Caps want to hoist this season – the Stanley Cup.
“[The Presidents’ Trophy] is not the one we want,” said Caps coach Bruce Boudreau. “It’s one we’re glad to have.”
The game itself had no meaning in the NHL standings – the Caps are the Eastern Conference No. 1 seed while the Thrashers were eliminated from playoff contention on Tuesday. But there were plenty of individual honors still at stake in a 5-2 Washington victory.
Ovechkin had two goals and an assist. On one play in the second period he tied the game – and the NHL lead for both goals (49) and overall points (108) with Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby and Vancouver’s Henrik Sedin respectively. By the end of the game Ovechkin – the two-time reigning NHL most valuable player – was on top of both categories by himself. He added a third-period tally that broke a 2-2 tie, gave him 50 goals, 109 points and – for good measure – ignited a three-goal spree in a 3 minute, 16 second span as Washington blew open the game. Sedin’s team plays its final game on Saturday night and Crosby plays on both Saturday and Sunday. Ovechkin and the Caps host Boston on Sunday at noon.
“I think both of us want to win,” Ovechkin said about his battle with Crosby for the goals title. “If somebody wins we’ll just congratulate [the other]. It’s a pretty big deal. You play a long season so of course you want to win this.
Caps center Nicklas Backstrom, meanwhile, scored a goal in the first period, assisted on Ovechkin’s second goal and then finished off the night by punching home a rebound at 13:05 of the third period. The 22-year-old center recorded his first 100-point season in the NHL – that mark reached with the assist. That means Backstrom’s 100th point and Ovechkin’s 50th goal came on the same play. The two friends said they will cut the puck in half and share the honor.
“When you win the Presidents’ Trophy, obviously you’re proud of yourself and your teammates,” said Caps goalie Jose Theodore, who finished with 29 saves on 31 Atlanta shots. “It’s a nice accomplishment…And seeing [Ovechkin] getting his goal and [Backstrom] getting his points it was great. They’re special players and it was a special night.”
Sandwiched between Ovechkin and Backstrom’s third-period goals was another by forward Jason Chimera, who one-timed a pass from teammate Eric Belanger. Even Chimera – with 15 goals now and 34 points – is just two points shy of matching his career high. There was little the Thrashers could do to stop the onslaught after that one. It was another memorable night for a group that has had its share at Verizon Center in recent years. But they hope there is still more to come this spring.
“I think it’s the gradual maturity and growth from 21-year-old kids who were very talented who are now 24 and 25 and have gone through the wars together,” Boudreau said. “They play for each other so well. That’s the biggest thing. They want the other prize.”
