Hardly anyone across the sport's history has played with less ego than Alex Ovechkin, a man the hockey world recognizes for celebrating his linemates' markers more than the ones he scores. Yet during Saturday's visit to the Pittsburgh Penguins — conceivably his last career appearance within Pittsburgh's Steel City confines — Ovi made a few curious choices in the closing minutes.
He notched career goal number 929, an empty-net strike, though the moments right before it turned plenty of heads.
What unfolded resembled a round of keep-away: Wilson and Ovechkin kept trading the disc to and fro before Ovi finally relented and tucked the puck inside the vacant cage. That hesitation runs counter to his usual nature, since the player who owns the league record with 72 empty-netters is normally relentless when the net sits open.
Goal No. 929 for Ovechkin
A microphone on Ovechkin during the contest picked up both his response and the exchange that followed the goal.
Grinning, he let Wilson know he had been trying to hand the opportunity over. Wilson countered that respect comes ahead of everything.
Wilson, it should be noted, had already found the net earlier that evening, reaching 30 on the season.
Speaking with the press afterward, Wilson reckoned the puck shuttled between them roughly three-to-four times, though he wasn't certain of the precise tally. He explained that their guiding rule puts respect before anything else, that Ovi holds legend status, and that helping assist on one of his markers is always a thrill. His comments came in postgame remarks to reporters.
What would prompt Ovechkin to wave off a chance like that? A hint may trace back to what stands as one of his career's most unforgettable evenings, on the 23rd of December in 2022.
With the net empty in a contest versus the Winnipeg Jets that evening, Ovechkin looked uneasy about shooting as he scored career goal No. 802, the marker that moved him ahead of Gordie Howe into the No. 2 spot on the all-time goals chart. As with the Wilson sequence this afternoon, he kept returning the disc toward Evgeny Kuznetsov until space ran out, then flipped a no-look attempt off the sideboards and in.
His behavior hinted strongly that he wanted a netminder on the other end to mark the achievement, even if he never quite confirmed it once the contest wrapped up.
By Ovechkin's own telling that night, the logic is simple — if the chance is there, you grab it. He recalled offering it to Kuzy, who declined to take it, and said that turn of events made the whole thing special.
Kuznetsov, for his part, admitted he likely would have felt terrible burying it there, reckoning that a sizable share of people worldwide would be furious with him. He pointed out that he already draws no shortage of critics along with a certain reputation, so he would rather lose possession and hustle back on defense had Ovi come up short. He added that he was glad the moment unfolded before the hometown supporters.
Heading into the Penguins matchup, Ovechkin's prior marker — number 928 on his career ledger — had beaten Philadelphia Flyers netminder Dan Vladar, and it ended up serving as the game-winner in Washington's 6-4 triumph that March 31.
Now in the closing season of his Capitals deal, Ovechkin has indicated he will settle his future over the offseason, a stance he repeated when he met with reporters following the Pittsburgh game.
He said he can't be sure whether the current campaign will prove to be his final one, adding that he would speak up if he were retiring, but since he hasn't made that declaration, the matter remains open.
Still, it's worth pondering. Particularly as his career winds down, Ovechkin has put real thought into empty-net situations. Back on the 4th of April in 2025, he famously declined the opportunity to complete a three-goal night versus Chicago's Blackhawks and seize the league's goal record before his own supporters.
By his telling afterward, he informed Carbs straight away that he had no interest in doing it. He recalled that Stromer, Carly, and the rest kept asking him repeatedly whether he wanted the opportunity, and that he kept urging them to wait.
Carbery, speaking that evening, said Ovechkin preferred to claim the record by beating a netminder posted in his crease rather than head out for the empty net, a wish the coach said he respected. According to Carbery, Ovechkin passed along the message while seated bench-side, then the coach simply wanted to double-check it. He admitted that pulling this off at home is tough, that as a coach he wanted to be sure — a three-goal game, with the hometown crowd watching — yet Ovechkin still wouldn't skate out for an empty-net record-breaker. Six games remained on the calendar, Carbery noted, and Ovechkin wanted his record-setter to arrive on a shot that beats a goalie, something the coach said he deeply admires.
Whenever it arrives, Ovechkin's last career goal will set the league's all-time goal mark — a fresh number that skaters will chase for generations. It will become a clip replayed endlessly, one that helps illustrate for tomorrow's fans just how dazzling a career he assembled.
So it would make complete sense to me if Ovechkin would rather see his career-ending marker, whenever it lands, beat a goaltender.