There’s definitely been a noticeable shift to the vibe at Capitals headquarters in Ballston, Virginia as of late. The current vibe surrounding Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals has transitioned to extremely rarified strata, moved into a new, unfamiliar space for Capitals and hockey fans worldwide. A space reserved for the greatest players to ever play the game of hockey.

On the precipice of Alex Ovechkin crossing over the 700 career goals threshold, NBC4 Sports chatted with several of The Great 8’s teammates following practice on Wednesday. Nicklas Backstrom, Braden Holtby, Nic Dowd and Tom Wilson shed some light on what it’s like playing with the greatest.

Ovechkin’s number one centerman Nicklas Backstrom noted that Alex was hoping the milestone would be reached very soon. Backstrom said, first and foremost, he was happy for the Capitals’ Captain.

Video: NBC 4 Sports

Centerman Nic Dowd, like most of his Capitals teammates over the past 15 years, seemed in awe of Ovechkin and his ability to score seemingly at will. Dowd said “there’s almost like an aura around the guy”.

Video: NBC 4 Sports

Braden Holtby, often a man of few, but concise words, simply stated Ovechkin “has the best shot in the history of the game.”

Video: NBC 4 Sports

Tom Wilson seemed apologetic to hockey hero’s of the past, but made his point that Ovechkin is consistently scoring goals in an era where goaltenders have a higher save percentage than seasons in the past.

Video: NBC 4 Sports

Ovechkin will have two more home games (Saturday against the Flyers and Monday against the Islanders) to reach 700 career goals before the Capitals hit the road for a three-game road trip.

Scoring two goals in an NHL game is difficult to do, but you almost feel like Ovechkin will get it done on Saturday against the Flyers. I wouldn’t bet against him.

Tracking Gr8ness