Lars Eller returned to the Washington Capitals in a familiar role early in the 2024-25 season. Acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins for a third- and fifth-round draft pick, Eller retook his place down the middle of the third line — the same position he played when he scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal in 2018 to help the Caps capture their first championship as a franchise.
While Eller’s final season in Washington had ups and downs, it gave him an opportunity to suit up during the Capitals’ 50th anniversary season, one of the most memorable in team history. Alex Ovechkin, who scored 44 goals in 65 games at age 39, made NHL history by breaking the all-time goals record on April 6 against the New York Islanders.
“Yeah, that was special,” Eller said during a podcast appearance on Coming in Hot with Wallace and York. “I’ve been fortunate to play a lot of years with Ovi and I’m first of all so happy for him. At some point, he knew he was going to get there. The question is ‘When?’ and ‘Can I get it done this season in time before the playoffs?’ He was just on fire leading up to breaking his leg. When he got back, he kept just going at the same pace. Just unbelievable.
“What’s there to say about him?” Eller continued. “He’s just one of a kind, special, unique talent combination of physicality and a shot we might never see again. But also a drive to never quit and wanting more and more and more. I think that’s the biggest thing, right? There’s been other guys that’s scored 40, 50, 60 goals, but not for year 20 for him. It is kind of ridiculous when you think about it that his body has been holding up and his mind is still, he can still motivate himself to wanting more.”
Eller admitted that, while Ovechkin’s chase could be distracting at times, he believed it proved a net benefit, especially given how the timing worked out.
“There was certainly a lot of stuff happening around that,” Eller said. “There was a lot of talk. It was a lot. I think it was good for us to get it done a week or two before the playoffs so it wasn’t something that was going right into the playoffs. Because I was like after, now we can focus on the hockey again. I think that period was enough for us to take the focus away from that and prepare properly for what came next, the playoffs around the corner. If it was dragged into Game 81 or Game 82, maybe that wasn’t good for the team. But I felt the way it played out, it didn’t hurt us. On the contrary, there was so much joy and sharing these special moments; it was very unique. A lot of people will never forget as teammates taking part of that.”
After Ovechkin reached immortality with his 895th goal, the Capitals captain got a generous gift for everyone on the team.
“Ovi got Hublot watches for everyone,” Eller said. “Customized Hublot watches. I think he even got it for trainers and staff members, not just the players.”
The thoughtful (and expensive) thank you came after Ovechkin was named by Hublot a “friend of the brand” in 2019 and the company created a limited-edition watch honoring the Russian hockey star in 2021.
Apparently, Ovechkin also showed his appreciation to his teammates by nerding out like Dyan Strome with stats as the Capitals were traveling home from Long Island.
“We looked through [who assisted on all his goals],” Eller said. “[Ovi] read through it. He read out loud on the bus on his goals, who had the most. I think I had four or five assists in there. So I was like in the top 25, I think.”
In fact, according to a list posted by RMNB on April 6, Eller assisted on eight of Ovechkin’s goals, good for 37th all time. Nicklas Backstrom leads with 279 apples, followed by John Carlson (158) and Evgeny Kuznetsov (110). The podcast also mentioned that Ovechkin assisted on six of Eller’s 188 career goals, including three primary assists.
Eller signed a one-year deal with the up-and-coming Ottawa Senators over the summer, but his family’s home will remain in the DC area. Eller will practice and skate in the region before Senators’ training camp stars in the fall.
Looking back on the 2024-25 campaign, Eller admitted how special the team was. After barely making the playoffs the season before, the team coalesced around Ovechkin and ended up being the Eastern Conference’s best team by the end of the regular season.
“A lot of young guys took huge steps forward and we just became a really good team,” Eller said. “Both our goalies playing well. It was like every young player took a step. It felt like some of the guys took two or three steps forward and became young established players who became really good NHL players. And then, yeah, you can put together a season like that. Probably a lot better than what a lot of people thought.”
