Alex Ovechkin Means More To The Capitals Than Just Goals: 'No One Can Imagine The Locker Room Without Him'

   

Alex Ovechkin means a lot more to the Washington Capitals than just the goals.

His 897 are the most all-time in the history of the NHL, but it's not his goal-scoring prowess alone that's made him a standout in D.C.; it's everything else.

Alex Ovechkin has tied Wayne Gretzky's all-time NHL goals record

As the Washington Capitals gear up for the 2025-26 season, which is the final year of Alex Ovechkin's contract, they can't really envision a team without their captain on board.

"No one can imagine the locker room without him," Aliaksei Protas told Sport5, per a DeepL translation, adding, "He's the leader who keeps everyone together."

Protas pointed to Ovechkin's 16-game absence earlier in the 2024-25 season after breaking his leg in late November. Though he was out, he made sure to stay with the team and remain around the facility while helping out in any way he could.

 

"He was always there, during the game he could even give advice somewhere, come in before the game. He was always there," Protas said.

Ovechkin returned to finish the season with 44 goals — the third most in the league — and break the all-time goals record while also leading the Capitals to the top of the Eastern Conference. Washington's season would end, though, in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

With Ovechkin entering the final year of his contract and him remaining undecided on his future beyond next year, Protas said that he can't really envision what it'll be like when he hangs up the skates.

"Of course, sooner or later there will come a point when Washington will have to learn to live without him. But for now, of course, it's hard to imagine that," Protas said. He's a very important figure for the club, the organization, and the league as a whole."

Tom Wilson said the same thing at the end of the season.

"At no point am I thinking in my head that there's ever going to be a day without Ovi on the Caps. He's still flying out there," Wilson said, adding, "You can never count that guy out. He's such a tremendous leader. I'm sure he's going to keep buzzing."

Ovechkin is currently in Turkey on vacation before he gets started training again for what will be his 21st NHL season.

"He's a simple, open guy. It is clear that many people are speechless when they see him," Protas said. "While they're trying to come to their senses, he's already gone, and they don't understand what happened."

Prospect Owen Martin Says He'd Want To Break Alex Ovechkin's NHL Goals Record

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin made history this past season, overtaking Wayne Gretzky as the NHL's all-time leading goal scorer. It inspired players all across the world, and now, future prospects also have their eye on the prize.

Among them: Spokane Chiefs forward and NHL draft prospect Owen Martin.

The Score surveyed several of this year's NHL draft prospects, asking a variety of questions regarding their aspirations, including which record they'd like to own at the end of their career.

A couple of players said they'd want to win the most Stanley Cups, but Martin went off the chart, saying that he would like to have the most goals in NHL history at the end of his career.

"Seeing Alex Ovechkin break that goals record this year was pretty cool, so I think that experience would be pretty cool," Martin said. "Probably the goals record."

Ovechkin broke the record on April 6, 2025, against the New York Islanders, beating Ilya Sorokin on the power play for his 895th career goal. He finished the year with 897 total goals and is three away from 900, and is expected to build on the total even further in his 21st season.

Martin is ranked 54th among all North American skaters and is projected to go a bit later in the upcoming draft. He's a hard-working forward known for his two-way play and positioning, as well as his defensive awareness.

In 39 games with the Spokane Chiefs, where he played with Washington prospect Andrew Cristall, Martin finished the year with 13 goals and 21 assists for 34 points.

The 2025 NHL Draft starts on Friday at 7 p.m. ET.