The NHL is preparing for a historic moment, with detailed plans in place for when Washington Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin breaks Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal-scoring record.
NHL insider Chris Johnston revealed on Friday how the league plans to honor the forward at the moment he completes the historic feat.
The league, according to Johnston, will pause the game when Ovechkin scores his 895th goal, holding a live on-ice ceremony capped at seven minutes if all goes according to plan.
“There’s actually going to be a ceremony in real time,” Johnston said. “This is a pretty special moment, a special goal. But they’re going to limit it to seven minutes.
“There will be a delay in whatever game when Ovechkin ultimately reaches this. It could be a big moment of a pretty big game, at least for one of the other teams.“
The Capitals, having already clinched a playoff berth in historic fashion, won’t be affected by the pause, but opposing teams could be battling for the postseason.
That's the main reason behind limiting the in-game celebration to just seven minutes.
”The Capitals have their playoff positioning already pretty much sewn up, so it’s not going to affect them to the same degree," Johnston said. "So these are the kind of discussions and planning scenarios that are already going on.”
Johnston added that when Ovechkin is within four goals of the record, a 15-person NHL delegation — including Gretzky and Commissioner Gary Bettman — will begin traveling to every Capitals game.
There are no plans for a formal ceremony when he matches Gretzky's record, only a brief on-ice celebration with teammates.
Ovechkin entered Saturday’s game against Florida seven goals from surpassing Gretzky’s 894, having scored his 888th goal on Thursday.
Though Ovechkin didn’t score in the 6–3 victory, he notched two assists against the Panthers.
The Capitals exploded for two goals in the first minute of the second period to break a 3–3 tie and ultimately sweep the season series against the reigning Stanley Cup champions.
With the win, Washington improved to 47–15–8 and remains atop the Metropolitan Division.
Ovechkin will continue “The Gr8 Chase” on Tuesday night as the Capitals play the Winnipeg Jets on the road.
