Nicklas Backstrom has been teammates, and often linemates, with Alex Ovechkin for 16 seasons with the Washington Capitals. Ovechkin passed Gordie Howe for second on the NHL goals list when he scored his 801st and 802nd against the Winnipeg Jets on Friday.
Backstrom has assisted on 278 of Ovechkin’s goals. Only Wayne Gretzky (364 of Jari Kurri’s goals), Bryan Trottier (310 of Mike Bossy’s goals) and Henrik Sedin (280 of Daniel Sedin’s goals) have assisted on more of a teammate’s goals in NHL history. In an exclusive column for NHL.com, Backstrom writes about the special bond he shares with Ovechkin and what it’s been like to be along for the ride on Ovechkin’s climb toward Gretzky’s NHL record of 894 goals.
Over the years, it’s been just surreal watching what Alex Ovechkin has done and I’m fortunate that I’ve had a front-row seat.
Although I’m recovering from hip surgery, I’m still watching closely and I’m super happy for him that he passed Gordie Howe for second in NHL history by scoring his 802nd goal. I know it means a lot to him, his entire family and for our organization.
Ovi deserves all the credit. That’s who he is — a natural goal-scorer. It’s just so natural for him to score and he just keeps racking up the goals.
For us playing with him, it’s been like, “Oh, he reached 500 already. Wow. That’s perfect.” Then, it’s another milestone after another. It’s kind of incredible that he’s reached 800.
I first met Alex at the 2006 NHL Draft in Vancouver after the Capitals selected me with the No. 4 picks. It was pretty cool for the organization to have him call my name. Ovi didn’t speak much English then, but neither did I. So, it was great. We connected there.
I saw Alex at the airport the next day and he was walking around with the Calder Trophy, awarded to the NHL rookie of the year, after he won it earlier that weekend. Everything about that weekend was pretty special.
After that, I played in Sweden for one more season just to develop and then I came over to Washington. Ovi and our entire group were great in helping me adjust. Obviously, he knew about the city a little more than I did.
I didn’t play with him at the beginning of my first season. I played with other guys. I played wing. When Bruce Boudreau took over as coach during that season, that’s when he put us together. From there, we just kept building the chemistry.
Obviously, everyone talks about Alex’s office in the left circle, but he can score so many different ways. When he comes in and he’s got that shot, I’ve heard goalies say he’s so unpredictable. The shots can go anywhere.
A lot of guys have their favorite spot, but I feel like “O” he’s got that goal-scorer mentality like no one else. He has an ability to get the puck through, too.
Even if the other team is trying to block it, he knows how to shoot through the guys. What makes him dangerous is that he has one of the biggest sweet spots of anyone that I’ve played with because he can shoot it from different angles.
As a passer, all I’m trying to create is that he doesn’t have to shoot the puck when there are guys in position to block it. More so, the quicker I can get the puck to him when the goalie is not ready that means something good is going to happen.
I think our games fit so well together because we respect each other. We have a good connection off the ice, too. We like to talk about similar stuff.
Looking back, we had a lot of games in our early years together when we were trailing coming into the third period and a lot of comebacks. We would basically just tell each other, “Wake up and go.”
And then, when we started going, we’d score like three or four goals in the last period. That’s another reason we respect each other. We could get each other going. And both of us have been extremely lucky to be surrounded by so many great teammates that have helped us do that consistently.
Those first few years, we hung out a lot and we were both single. We lived close by, and we drove each other to games. We had a blast. A lot of fun moments.
We have the same relationship now that we had back then, but right now our lives involve kids. So we have other responsibilities off the ice versus hanging out, going out for dinner and stuff like that. But we still have the same conversations, the same kind of dialogue in the locker room or when we’re on the road.
That evolution is part of life, I think. It’s nice for both of us to be able to share that with not just each other but seeing other players on the Capitals grow up and start families, too.
Of course, our best memory is winning the Stanley Cup against the Vegas Golden Knights in 2018. We talked about it a little bit before and then after we won the clinching game, he told me he was going to give me the Cup first. You can see him tell me that on the video.
Skating together with the Cup was not something we planned. I just looked to the side, and he was skating with me. It was actually pretty funny. We had waited a long time, and we went through ups and downs and to finally do it was so special. Just thinking about it gives me goose bumps.
Since then, Alex hasn’t slowed down. He’s 37 years old, but nothing has changed. He’s a machine. It’s natural. His shot is not slowing down. He still plays physical.
I think I said this three or four years ago: if there’s anyone who can beat Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record of 894 goals, it’s Alex. He’s on pace to score 50-something goals this season. He’s got the ability to score, and he still does it, so it’s impressive.
It would be amazing to watch. To be a part of it, would be something incredible, so, hopefully, I am.
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