Washington Capitals alumnus Peter Bondra knows how the saying goes: "records are made to be broken." And that's exactly what he saw with captain Alex Ovechkin.
In an interview with Sport24.sk, Bondra spoke on the Capitals and Ovechkin's monumental career, saying that he was surprised to see what an immediate impact he had.
"When Ovechkin came to Washington, he broke all my records," he said, per a DeepL translation. "I thought the train would stop, but he tran through it like (it goes) through Kysak, where the train doesn't stop."
Bondra was an impactful player over the course of his 14-year tenure with the Capitals from 1990 to 2004, having long been the team's all-time goals (472), power-play goals (137) and points (825) leader.
Ovechkin arrived on the scene in D.C. shortly after Bondra's departure, arriving following the lockout for the 2005-06 season. He would go on to shatter Bondra's records, as well as several long-time records in the NHL.
This past season, Ovechkin, at 39, broke Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record with a 44-goal campaign, and he now has 897 career goals and counting. His 1,491 points also rank first on the Capitals, and his 326 power-play goals are the most in NHL history.
For Bondra, it's been an honor to witness as he continues to work with the organization and watch Ovechkin transform the franchise for the better.
"It was a big deal, not only for Ovechkin, but for the entire NHL," Bondra said.
