Dylan Strome has a front-row seat to one of the biggest stories in hockey history.
The 28-year-old forward has served as Alex Ovechkin’s primary center and setup man as Ovechkin draws nearer and nearer to breaking Wayne Gretzky’s once-thought-unbreakable all-time goals record.
Besides running shotgun with Ovechkin on the ice, Strome has also experienced the near-rabid collecting of memorabilia that his captain and linemate does after scoring each goal. Strome spoke about Ovechkin’s documenting process during a guest spot on the NHL Unscripted podcast hosted by Adnan Virk and Strome’s former Coyotes teammate Jason Demers.
“We talk a little bit about it here – who’s going to get the puck, how much security is going to be there,” Strome said. “He takes pretty much everything he has after he scores, especially now, and keeps it for himself or keeps it in his museum or wherever he does with it. We don’t really know what he does with it. I’m sure we’ll find out one day. But he takes all his jerseys. You’ve got to sign his jerseys if you get an assist on a goal. He keeps everything.”
Ovechkin is saving his sticks, jerseys, gloves, and pucks from each goal he scores en route to surpassing Gretzky. He plans on eventually opening a museum in his hometown of Moscow, Russia, showcasing his own memorabilia and the extensive amount of sticks he has collected from teammates, current NHL superstars, and hockey legends.
Strome has put a sharpie to many Ovechkin jerseys since signing with the Capitals ahead of the 2022-23 season, assisting on 43 total Ovechkin goals. He kicked the 2024-25 campaign off by assisting on Ovechkin’s first 11 goals of the year and has added six more helpers on Ovi goals since then.
Ovechkin and Strome recently shared a milestone with Ovechkin netting his 1,600th career point and Strome playing in his 500th career NHL game against the Seattle Kraken on March 9. The two posed with their milestone-marking pucks postgame.
After scoring his 888th career goal against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, Ovechkin is just seven goals away from surpassing Gretzky. The Capitals have 12 games remaining on their schedule, meaning Ovechkin will have to score at a slightly slower goal-per-game rate (0.58) than his career average (0.60) to reach goal no. 895.
“It’s been incredible, and I think it’s only going to get crazier,” Strome said. “I mean, our crowd is chanting, ‘Ovi,’ with three minutes left in the game, hoping the other team pulls their goalie. The building is just crazy. We were in San Jose, and I think half the arena was standing up when he scored. People want to see him score. He scored at MSG a week and a half ago and the building was chanting, ‘Ovi,’ like it’s things that just don’t happen on a regular basis are happening, and it’s cool to be a part of.”
Strome has already notched an assist on one of Ovechkin’s significant milestone markers, dishing to Ovechkin on the goal that saw him tie Gordie Howe for the second-most goals in NHL history (801). He admitted he’s wondered what it would be like to be involved in the eventual big moment as well.
“I’ve definitely thought about it a ton of what’s going to happen,” Strome said. “It’s almost hard to grasp when you’re kind of in it because he’s eight goals away, which is insane. But, you know, eight goals is a lot for anyone to get. It’s not a lot for him, but, you know, we’re hoping that he has a couple two-goal games and gets a little bit more within reach.”
Strome’s partnership with Ovechkin has also led to personal success this year, setting a new single-season career high in points for the third-straight season. His goal against the Florida Panthers on Saturday, assisted by Ovechkin, was his 68th point (23g, 45a) in 70 games.
