Alex Ovechkin has broken more than a few records during his NHL career, but the next one he reaches will have some added meaning. The Washington Capitals captain is on the verge of becoming the highest goal scorer among Russian-born players, closing in on former NHL player Sergei Fedorov's record of 483 goals. Ovechkin has 480 goals in 766 NHL games, the most of any player since he entered the League in 2005. Ovechkin could tie or surpass Fedorov's mark by the end of the week. The Capitals play the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday; the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday and visit the Florida Panthers on Saturday.
Washington was Fedorov's final stop in the NHL. He played 70 games for the Capitals after he was acquired in a trade from the Blue Jackets in 2008. He retired from the NHL after the 2008-09 season with 483 goals in 1,248 NHL games. Fedorov, who enjoyed his heyday with the Detroit Red Wings, will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Nov. 9. Breaking the record is especially meaningful for Ovechkin, not only because Fedorov is his former teammate, but because of Fedorov's contributions to hockey in Russia and the standard he set for Russian players coming into the NHL. Ovechkin, who often played on a line with Fedorov in Washington, said he still corresponds with Fedorov, who he still looks to as a mentor. Watching Ovechkin pile up on accomplishments is special to everyone around him, especially those who are familiar with him and Fedorov.
Ovechkin has scored at least 50 goals six times during his career and is the fifth player in NHL history to score at least 30 goals in each of his first 10 seasons. He holds Washington's franchise record for most career goals. Ovechkin is likely headed for the Hall of Fame when his NHL career is through, though that doesn't appear to be happening anytime soon.
"I'm very excited. It's going to be a huge honor for me to beat his record, especially [since] I know him and he was a top player I played with. It'll be something. I was growing up when he was here, so it's kind of a situation where you look at him when you're growing up, you watch how he played, all his influence on Russian hockey, and it was huge." Ovechkin said.
"It probably is a little bit surreal, and also a little bit heartwarming. Ovi's driven to be one of the best in the game, not only here in North America but in Russia. I think he's probably quietly very proud of the fact that he can at least match the standard and he's probably going to bypass it with the number of games that he'll probably play from now till the end of his career. That's got to be some satisfaction. If I know anything about Sergei Fedorov, he'll probably be really happy that a guy like Ovi's passing him." Barry Trotz said.
"I think it's a big memory for him and I think he's glad to be the best scorer to represent our country. It's always positive for him," Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov said.
"As far as I'm concerned, [he's] the best goal-scorer the game has ever seen. It's not like he's stopping either, he's not just barely getting past. He's still in the prime of his career. He's got many years of goal scoring left in him." Brooks Laich said.
Of course however many goals Ovechkin does eventually end his career with can't compare to the overall skill Fedorov had. Ovechkin is a goal-scorer and that is pretty much it. He isn't a great leader for either the Caps or his country, Russia. He certainly seems to be lacking in big game situations. When his country needed him the most at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Ovechkin was found wanting. The same can be said about his post season adventures with Washington. The same can not be said about Fedorov, who had a storied career in the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings, winning three Stanley Cups in the process. Fedorov will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Nov. 9. but let's take a look back to where it all began.
Twenty years ago, hockey took a major step in its evolution when the Detroit Red Wings put five Russian players together as one unit of three forwards and two defensemen for the first time.
The "Russian Five," as the deployment of forwards Sergei Fedorov, Igor Larionov and Vyacheslav Kozlov, and defensemen Vladimir Konstantinov and Viacheslav Fetisov became known, debuted Oct. 27, 1995, against the Calgary Flames and helped the Red Wings score two of its three goals. Kozlov and Larionov scored in Detroit's 3-0 victory against Calgary, but hockey ended up being the biggest winner. The game changed for the better in response to the transcendental nature of the Russian Five, the brainchild of Hall of Fame coach Scotty Bowman.
Together, the Russians helped Detroit to a historic 1995-96 season, when it set the NHL record with 62 wins and finished one point short of tying the record for most points in a season (132), set by the Montreal Canadiens in 1976-77. More importantly, the Russian Five was a big part of the Red Wings' first Stanley Cup championship in 42 years.
In Russia, it was common practice to use the same five players as a unit, but in North America it was incredibly rare to see a forward line paired with the same defensemen on a regular basis. The players who formed the Russian Five found their way to Detroit in various ways, but it was the acquisition of Larionov, who would become the unit's center, that allowed the plan to be put in motion by Bowman. Few people could find logic in Bowman's decision to trade Ray Sheppard, who scored 150 goals for the Red Wings in the previous four seasons, to the San Jose Sharks for Larionov, 34, early in the 1995-96 season. Bowman had a plan, though, and it worked brilliantly.
In the '90s, most NHL teams played a simple game, Dump the puck into the offensive zone and forecheck. Left and right wings played strictly on their side of the ice. The Russian Five changed all of that, emulating the style of the Soviet teams that dominated world and Olympic competition during the previous three decades with a combination of speed and puck control. Fedorov and Kozlov, the wings, would often switch sides to confuse opponents and create scoring chances. The unit played an instrumental role as the Red Wings developed into one of the most dominant teams of the decade and won the 1997 Stanley Cup.
Each member of the Russian Five dazzled in his own way. Fedorov, the first European-born player to win the Hart Trophy, provided the fast skating, breathtaking skill and goal production. Konstantinov was a master of the big hit and solid defensive play. Larionov was all about sophisticated playmaking. Fetisov was an all-around dependable defenseman who was great offensively. Kozlov was a sublime passer with an elite slap shot. The five Russians not only changed the way the game was played but they changed the identity of the Red Wings in the process. The unit's style of play, which emphasized movement, quick passing and possession of the puck, has become the calling card for the organization.
Scotty Bowman: "Twenty years ago, these guys brought a completely new style of hockey to the NHL. Nowadays, a lot of teams play a similar type of a game. When the Russian Five were on the ice, you had to have your popcorn ready because you knew that you were in for a treat. They didn't just play hockey; they created masterpieces on the ice."
"My main trick was not to unite all five Russians every time. I was worried that the opponents would be able to figure out how to play against them. Often, I would wait until the second or even third period to get them out on the ice together. It always got other teams confused."
"At that time, we had too many right wings. The Sharks gave me a massive list of players to choose from in exchange for Sheppard. I wasn't looking for a center, but when I saw Larionov's name, I thought that it would be great to get a player with such enormous hockey IQ and put all five Russian guys together."
Red Wings GM Ken Holland was in his second season as an assistant GM with Detroit when Bowman put together the Russian Five:
"When those five guys were on the ice, opponents didn't know how to play against them. I remember Larionov and his linemates always saying that if you have the puck, you control the game. They came from the same school of hockey and shared a similar mentality. They understood each other perfectly."
Sergei Fedorov: "We played the style of hockey that we understood and enjoyed. I remember often when we were on the ice, we would spend most of the time in the offensive zone. We dominated the game because this style was unusual at that time and teams didn't know how to defend against the guys who constantly move the puck around."
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