The story of Gravedigger, the miracle play that saved the Tide: ‘That’s going to be a part of Alabama history’
-
Alex Scarborough, ESPN Staff Writer
AUBURN, Ala. — “Whoa nellie! Whoa nellie!”
Alabama analyst Dean Altobelli shouted so loud in celebration that his words could be heard through the metal door and cinder block walls that separated the visitors locker room from the awaiting media next door.
A few moments later, Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban walked in as his wife, Terry, clapped from her seat in the back row and yelped, “Yay!”
Saban then sat down and tried to explain a win that few could have seen coming.
“So, do I really need to say anything?” Saban asked facetiously.
Yes and no. Because what can you say after what happened here, on the road, against an archrival in a series that has had more than its fair share of miraculous finishes? The Tide looked to be toast, down 24-20 with under a minute left to play, facing an impossible fourth-and-goal from Auburn‘s 31-yard line to save their season and keep their playoff hopes alive.
Then Jalen Milroe took the snap, danced around the pocket and surveyed the field. He waited … and waited … and waited some more, as the Tigers only rushed two defenders.
“I guess if you’re in this long enough,” Saban said, “sometimes it goes against you in the last play of the game, and sometimes you’re fortunate and it goes for you.”
Ten years ago, inside this same cramped makeshift media room, Saban walked through how a would-be game-winning field goal with one second left turned into a 100-plus-yard return and a walk-off win for Auburn. All this time later, he rattled off the mistakes that led to one of the most heartbreaking losses of his career: a blocked kick, a dead ball foul, getting the ball five times inside the opponent’s 25-yard line in the third and fourth quarters and not scoring a single point.
Call what Milroe and Alabama did luck — and Saban did, in part — but like the Kick-Six, there’s more to what happened here on Saturday night.
“I got to admit we had good fortune,” Saban said, “but it still comes down to ability to execute. Somebody had an opportunity to make a play, whether it was their punt returner or [Isaiah Bond] in the end zone and whoever was guarding him.
“So that’s why you play the game.”
Here’s how the play and the game came together:
Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold: I feel like that went all the way back to the summer. Coach Saban, before we started fall camp, he replayed the play [last season] where Tennessee scored on the kick and the play when LSU scored on the last play. So that was just going through our mind and being cognizant and just focusing and keying in on what we had to do. Honestly, we never lost faith. We prepared for moments like this.
Saban: Believe it or not, we actually practice that play every Friday when we do walk-through and we do special situations. We get in that formation [five receivers and no backs], and everybody runs down the field and runs varying routes in the end zone.
Arnold: Oftentimes when we do it in practice, we don’t want to get guys hurt. So, I mean, we don’t ever really try to make a play on the ball. We let him catch it. And that came into fruition.
Alabama defensive back Malachi Moore: It might’ve paid off.
Saban: You tell [Milroe] they’re only going to rush three guys and sometimes two. … He’s going to have plenty of time. He’s got to pick the guy that he thinks has got the best chance to catch it.
Moore: [Bond] has all the confidence in himself to make a play. He thinks he’s the best wide receiver on the field, and that’s how you should be.
Arnold: Milroe steps up in the pocket. Kool-Aid [McKinstry] is sitting right here. We were like, dang, this kind of reminds me of [two years ago].
Moore: I really didn’t want to watch the play at all. I just looked at our fans [for their reaction].
Arnold: Truth be told, before J-Mil threw the ball, I said a prayer. So in my head, I’m thinking we went to church before the games, so God give us a blessing. It’s kind of like games like this, you always know so much wrong is going to happen. They had a couple of dirty plays like hitting our punter and stuff didn’t go our way. The one with Jermaine [Burton] when I believe his foot was in bounds, and I feel like everybody saw that. So something had to go right.
Offensive lineman JC Latham: My guy gave me a bull rush right at me and then shortly after I got knocked off or something, so I was able to kind of just turn and see where [Milroe] was. He was all the way on the left side of the field and at that point I’m pretty much useless in that situation. I can try to run down the play, but I can’t really do too much. And yeah, so I just kind of saw it all on unfold. And, yeah, it was insane.
Milroe: I saw IB one-on-one. I was like, we going to score.
Saban: IB really kind of got himself in position where there was some room to throw it. He pushed inside, and the DB was inside of him — and then he came back out and Jalen threw it back out to him, and it was a great catch, a great throw.
Bond: I kind of set him up. I saw the ball. He was trailing, so I was sort of leaning into him and then faded — and then just made the play, as y’all saw.
Moore: Once I saw our fans cheering, I knew we did something good.
Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne: He caught it right? Please be in bounds.
Terry Saban (jokingly): I thought touchdown when it was in the air. I called that play.
Alabama linebacker Deontae Lawson: I came in with Jalen and always knew he was a poised guy. That’s how you got to be playing the position he plays, and I’m just so happy for him.
Latham: I said it at media day: [Milroe is] one of the best quarterbacks in the country. He has to potentially be the best quarterback in the country, and he’s just overcome all adversity and done what he has to do. So that’s who he is. He got the chance to show it. I never doubted him for a second.
Milroe: It’s all about never giving up. That was the biggest thing throughout the game and with that play, it was just all about trust. … I’ll never forget this game ever in my life.
Bond: I ain’t going to lie, making that play meant a lot. That’s going to be a part of Alabama history.
Saban: I thought [Milroe] played great in the game. And his progress has transformed our team and our offense — because he is a point guard, and because he is involving everybody in the game. That’s the thing I think he had to learn this year. He’s now become extremely effective at the quarterback position.
Auburn coach Hugh Freeze on the decision not to pressure Milroe: You can second-guess it. You’ve just got to play with vision. We’ve got nine guys back there. Just play with vision, make a play on the ball and knock it down. He felt like he was shoved off, but I couldn’t tell. You can pressure him, and then you’ve got one-on-ones, and they throw it up. You can do that if you want. I like the call. I think we just have to sit back there with vision and knock the ball down.
Auburn linebacker Jalen McLeod: D.J. [James] had a hell of a game. With corners, people just look at that one play. I told him, ‘Look D.J., I would take you again. If you throw that ball up one more time, I’d give you another chance. You had three PBUs [pass breakups] this game. I would take that risk again with you.’ He’s an NFL talent. Sometimes you live with stuff like that.
Auburn got the ball back with 26 seconds left, but an interception by Arnold sealed the win.
Arnold: They had the Kick-Six. I wanted the Pick-Six. But it’s all right.
Saban: I can’t tell you how proud I am of the guys and how good I feel about winning the game. But as a coach, you always look at things like, how did you play? Because we’re going to have to play at a higher level on a more consistent basis if we’re going to have success in the future. And that’s what you always evaluate. That’s the reality check that we all have to make.”
As Alabama loaded onto buses to go home to Tuscaloosa, Crimson Tide director of football operations Ellis Ponder puffed on a victory cigar. Next week, the Tide will play Georgia for the SEC championship.
But that was a matter for another day as members of the equipment staff gathered around a reporter who shot a video of the Milroe-to-Bond touchdown.
“Can I send this to myself?” one of the staffers said, taking the phone and texting it to himself.
But what should he call the video?
Saban was asked what the touchdown play was called, but he couldn’t give it up.
“If the play had a name,” he said. “I wouldn’t tell you what it was.”
But Bond later coughed it up.
“Gravedigger,” he said.
Milroe wasn’t sure about that.
“I don’t know what it’s called,” he said. “But I like it.”
-
Greg Wyshynski
NEW YORK — Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin scored goal No. 895 on Sunday, passing Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky to become the NHL’s all-time goal scoring leader.
Ovechkin netted the record breaker against the New York Islanders with a power-play goal with 12:34 left in the second period of Sunday’s game — the 1,487th game of his career, the same as Gretzky’s career total.
With Gretzky and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman in attendance, the game came to a standstill as players and fans celebrated the historic moment.
Ovechkin tied Gretzky’s record Friday with two tallies in a 5-3 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. He chose not to go out on the ice after the Blackhawks pulled their goalie late in the third for a possible hat trick, saying later, “I don’t want an empty net” when he sets the record.
Ovechkin’s pursuit of the all-time goals record has spanned his extraordinary 20-year NHL career, all of it with the Washington Capitals. He won the Rocket Richard Trophy as the NHL’s regular-season goal-scoring leader nine times. He captured the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP three times (2008, ’09, ’13) and the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in leading the Capitals to their first Stanley Cup championship in 2018.
Ovechkin is the NHL’s all-time leader in power-play goals (325) and overtime goals and passed Jaromir Jagr for most game-winning goals after tallying with 136th on Friday. He has scored 50 more power-play goals than Hall of Famer Dave Andreychuk, who is second all time. More than 210 of Ovechkin’s power-play goals were scored from the “Ovi Spot” near the left faceoff circle, as it has come to be known.
Gretzky captured the goals record on March 23, 1994, as a member of the Los Angeles Kings. His 802nd career goal surpassed his idol Gordie Howe’s career mark. The game against the Vancouver Canucks was stopped for a 15-minute ceremony. Gretzky retired in 1999 with 894 goals in 1,487 NHL regular-season games, a career total that few in the NHL believed would ever be surpassed — until Ovechkin arrived.
“I always said that if there’s any guy who could do it, it’s him,” said Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom, currently injured, who assisted on more Ovechkin goals than any other teammate from 2007 to 2023. “Sometimes, it just seems like the puck finds him, and he’s got that ability to put it in the net like no one else.”
The Capitals won the 2004 NHL draft lottery to select Ovechkin first overall. The Moscow native won the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year in 2005-06 with 52 goals, as his buoyant personally revitalized the franchise. By the end of his 10th NHL season, having yet to turn 30 years old, Ovechkin had amassed 475 goals in 760 games.
Gretzky told NHL.com in 2016 that if Ovechkin sustained that pace “there’s no question in my mind” he could set a new career goals record.
“The first 500 are the easy ones,” Gretzky said. “It’s the next 500, when you’re getting a little bit older and your body is a little bit worn down — the travel and physical part of the game catches up to you.”
Ovechkin entered this season needing 42 goals to pass Gretzky and wasted no time. The Capitals captain scored 15 goals in his first 18 games, the hottest goal-scoring start of his career and an unprecedented feat for a 39-year-old in the NHL. His season took an unexpected turn on Nov. 18, when Ovechkin broke his left fibula in a game against Utah. But the “Russian Machine,” as he has been called for his stamina and good health, returned ahead of schedule — and scored a goal — on Dec. 28, after missing 16 games.
The Ovechkin record hunt captivated the hockey world during the final weeks of the regular season. It was branded “The GR8 Chase” by the NHL. Game broadcasts introduced alternate feeds that focused only on Ovechkin. In Washington, D.C., goal counters were added inside Capital One Arena and in Union Market District. Gretzky, commissioner Gary Bettman, Capitals owner Ted Leonsis and Ovechkin’s wife Nastya began following the team from arena to arena.
Ovechkin, meanwhile, used his record pursuit to raise funds for pediatric cancer research, donating an amount equal to his goal total for every goal he scores during the remainder of his career and encouraging fans to contribute on a per-goal basis as well.
After breaking the 800-goal barrier during the 2022-23 season, Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin has passed Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career goals record of 894, scoring No. 895 on Sunday against the Islanders.
Ovechkin began the 2024-25 season with 853 goals and broke the record with his 42nd goal of the season.
Follow along here as we chronicle each goal Ovechkin scores this season, including goal highlights, the upcoming Capitals schedule and how to watch.
Subscribe to ESPN+ | Stream the NHL on ESPN
Upcoming schedule | Goal videos
The NHL’s top 10 in career goals
1. Alex Ovechkin (895)
2. Wayne Gretzky (894)
3. Gordie Howe (801)
4. Jaromir Jagr (766)
5. Brett Hull (741)
6. Marcel Dionne (731)
7. Phil Esposito (717)
8. Mike Gartner (708)
9. Mark Messier (694)
10. Steve Yzerman (692)
Goals scored in 2024-25
No. 895: April 6 vs. NYI
After tying the record at home in dramatic fashion, Ovechkin broke it in his next games, scoring No. 895 against the New York Islanders. It was his 42nd goal of the season.
No. 894: April 4 vs. CHI
How else but on the power play? Six minutes, 13 seconds into the third period, Ovechkin scored the record-tying goal as Wayne Gretzky watched from the crowd. The monumental goal was assisted by John Carlson and Andrew Mangiapane.
2:24
Ovechkin shows love to crowd after tying Gretzky at 894 goals
Alex Ovechkin ties Wayne Gretzky for most goals in NHL history at 894.
No. 893: April 4 vs. CHI
Ovechkin scored 3:52 into the first period against the Blackhawks to move two goals away from the all-time record — and score his 40th of the season. The goal was assisted by Dylan Strome and John Carlson.
0:53
Ovechkin 2 away from passing Gretzky with 893rd goal
Alex Ovechkin lights the lamp as he inches closer to breaking Wayne Gretzkys all-time scoring record.
No. 892: April 2 vs. CAR
Now just three goals away from the record, Ovechkin’s 892nd was a vintage strike — powering home a shot from the left circle on a Capitals power play to cut into the Hurricanes’ lead.
0:40
Alex Ovechkin now 3 goals away from breaking Gretzky’s record
Alex Ovechkin scores career goal 892, putting him three away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record.
No. 891: April 1 vs. BOS
Ovechkin was in the right place at the right time for his 891st career goal. He received the puck just in front of an empty net and scored on the power play — which secured his 18th career season with at least 10 power-play goals, according to ESPN Research.
0:56
Ovechkin scores 891st goal, 4 away from breaking record
Alex Ovechkin scores from close range, putting him three away from tying Wayne Gretzky’s record.
No. 890: March 30 vs. BUF
Ovechkin’s chase to pass Gretzky can now be counted down on one hand. He found the net midway through the third period on a neat no-look tip-in.
0:30
Ovechkin scores 890th goal, moves 5 away from breaking Gretzky’s record
Alex Ovechkin scores on a fantastic redirection for his 890th career goal.
No. 889: March 25 vs. WPG
Facing a 2-1 deficit late in the third period, Ovechkin connected on a snap shot to even the game. It marked the 150th game-tying goal of his career, 11 more than anyone else in NHL history, according to ESPN Research.
1:04
Ovechkin’s 889th goal moves him 6 away from breaking Gretzky’s record
Alex Ovechkin nets his 889th career goal to tie the score in the third period, putting him six away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record.
No. 888: March 20 vs. PHI
Ovechkin put home a follow-up chance late in the first period versus the Flyers. Ovi now has has 52 career goals against Philadelphia, the all-time second-most against the Flyers, passing Mario Lemieux.
0:42
Ovechkin 7 goals away from passing Gretzky after 888th goal
Alex Ovechkin nets his 888th career goal, putting him seven away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record.
No. 887: March 15 vs. SJ
Already comfortably ahead against San Jose, Ovechkin tipped in a goal in the third period. Eighteen of Ovi’s 34 goals have come in the third period this season, the most in the NHL, according to ESPN Research.
0:53
Ovechkin’s redirect goal moves him 8 away from breaking Gretzky’s record
Alex Ovechkin redirects the puck into the net for his 887th career goal.
No. 886: March 9 vs. SEA
Ovechkin was out on the ice to help preserve a late third-period lead against Seattle, and wrestled enough space from a Kraken defender to score an empty-net goal to put the game out of reach.
0:41
Alex Ovechkin nets career goal No. 886, eight shy of Wayne Gretzky’s record
Alex Ovechkin taps in an empty-netter for career goal No. 886 and his 1,600th point.
No. 885: March 5 vs. NYR
Ovi’s goal went a long way for the Capitals as it evened the score with 9:32 left in the third period. Washington went on to secure an overtime victory after Ovechkin netted his 32nd goal in 46 games this season.
0:41
Ovechkin scores 885th goal, 10 away from passing Gretzky
Alex Ovechkin scores his 32nd goal of the season, putting him only 10 away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record.
No. 884: March 1 vs. TB
Although the Capitals lost a showdown with old Southeastern Division foe Tampa Bay, Ovi put himself 10 goals from tying Gretzky via a third-period goal assisted by Matt Roy.
0:52
Alex Ovechkin closes in on history with late goal for Capitals
Alex Ovechkin is just 10 goals away from Wayne Gretzky’s record 894 after this goal against the Lightning.
No. 883: Feb. 25 vs. CGY
Ovechkin connected on a goal on a Capitals power play against the Calgary Flames, his eighth in eight games and 30th of the season. Ovechkin is the fourth player in NHL history to score 30 goals at age 39 or older.
EIGHT GOALS IN EIGHT GAMES.
THE #GR8CHASE IS ROLLING FOLKS!#ALLCAPS | @BlueHalo pic.twitter.com/I09wwQi0IO
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) February 26, 2025
Nos. 880, 881, 882: Feb. 23 vs. EDM
Ovechkin first found the net nearly halfway through the second period against the Edmonton Oilers. About ten minutes later, he did it again, concluding a Washington power play with a goal. His third came on an empty netter late in the third period, Ovechkin’s seventh empty net goal this season.
Ovechkin has 200 goals since Jan. 1, 2020, becoming the first player in NHL history to score 200+ goals in three different decades. Ovechkin is now on pace to break Gretzky’s career goals record by the end of this season, per all three methodologies ESPN Research has used.
1:38
Ovechkin’s hat trick puts him 13 away from breaking Gretzky’s record
Alex Ovechkin scores a hat trick against the Oilers to reach 882 career goals.
No. 879: Feb. 6 vs. PHI
Down 1-0 in the first period against the Philadelphia Flyers, Ovechkin evened the score in the final minute with a one-timer.
0:38
Alex Ovechkin moves 16 goals away from breaking Gretzky’s record
Alex Ovechkin scores his 879th career goal to move 16 goals away from eclipsing Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record
No. 878: Feb. 4 vs. FLA
Every second counts. Ovechkin netted his 878th goal with just 0.1 seconds left, slotting the puck in an empty net against the Florida Panthers.
0:47
Alexander Ovechkin beats the buzzer to score goal 878
Alexander Ovechkin scores an empty-netter with 0.1 left to give him his 878th goal of his career.
No. 877: Feb. 1 vs. WPG
Ovechkin tied the game with under eight minutes left in the third period with his 877th goal. The Caps would lose in overtime in a matchup of two of the NHL’s top teams.
0:47
Alex Ovechkin brings Caps even with his 877th career goal
Alex Ovechkin ties the score at 4 and moves 18 goals from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record.
No. 876: Jan. 30 vs. OTT
Ovechkin scored against the Ottawa Senators exactly two weeks in ago in their Jan. 16 matchup and did it again with a power play finish in the third period against Ottawa. It marked Ovechkin’s NHL-record 318th career power play goal.
0:29
Alex Ovechkin nets his 876th goal with a great shot from the point
Alex Ovechkin finds the back of the net for his 876th goal to pull the Capitals within 1.
No. 875: Jan. 23 vs. SEA
Ovi added another empty-net tally to his career total to put the finishing touches on this victory for the Caps, assisted by Trevor van Riemsdyk and Jakob Chychrun.
0:41
Alex Ovechkin scores 875th NHL goal
Alex Ovechkin scores in the third period and is now 20 goals away from passing Wayne Gretzky on the NHL’s all-time list.
No. 874: Jan. 16 vs. OTT
Ovechkin locked in one record with his 874th goal. He broke the mark for the most goaltenders scored on after slotting one past Ottawa’s Leevi Merilainen for a game-winning overtime goal.
0:58
Alex Ovechkin’s 874th career goal wins it in OT for the Capitals
Alex Ovechkin breaks through in overtime with his 874th career goal to propel the Capitals to a 1-0 win.
No. 873: Jan. 11 vs. NSH
Ovechkin put the finishing touches on a the Caps’ 4-1 win over the Predators by way of an empty-net goal.
0:36
Alex Ovechkin scores his 873rd career goal on empty net
Alex Ovechkin moves 21 goals away from Wayne Gretzky’s record with an empty-net goal to seal the Capitals’ win.
No. 872: Jan. 4 vs. NYR
The Capitals wound up scoring seven on the reeling Rangers, and Ovechkin’s 19th of the season made it 5-3 in the third period, assisted by Dylan Strome.
0:17
Alex Ovechkin scores his 872nd career goal to increase Caps’ lead
Alex Ovechkin nets his 872nd career goal and is 23 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record.
No. 871: Jan. 2 vs. MIN
Although the Capitals lost in a shootout to the Wild, Ovechkin added to his career total via a second-period, power-play goal, assisted by Dylan Strome.
0:19
Ovechkin inches closer to Gretzky’s record with another goal
Alex Ovechkin moves closer to Wayne Gretzky’s all-time NHL goalscoring record with this fierce finish vs. the Wild.
No. 870: Dec. 29 vs. DET
Ovechkin is making up for time lost during his injury absence, scoring his second goal in as many games since returning. His 17th of the season was assisted by Jakob Chychrun and Connor McMichael.
0:28
Ovechkin inches closer to Gretzky with 870th goal
Alex Ovechkin is now 25 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record of 894 goals.
No. 869: Dec. 28 vs. TOR
In his first game back following a five-week stint on injured reserve, Ovechkin notched an empty-net goal to seal the deal against the Maple Leafs. The goal was assisted by Aliaksei Protas and Pierre-Luc Dubois.
0:27
Alex Ovechkin scores in return to Capitals
Alex Ovechkin comes one goal closer to the record after scoring an empty-net goal.
No. 868, 867: Nov. 18 vs. UTA
A day after his hat trick against Vegas, Ovechkin scored two more against the Hockey Club — and might’ve had another if he wasn’t knocked out of the game following a collision with Jack McBain. Goal No. 867 was assisted by Pierre-Luc Dubois, while No. 868 was on the power play, and assisted by John Carlson and Dylan Strome.
0:32
Ovechkin’s 2nd goal of the night gets him to 868
Alex Ovechkin nets his second goal of the game to put the Capitals up 4-1 over the Utah HC, and moves within 26 goals of tying Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record.
0:43
Alex Ovechkin cashes goal 867 for Capitals
Alex Ovechkin finds the back of the net to give the Capitals a 3-1 lead over Utah, and moves within 27 goals of tying Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record.
No. 866, 865, 864: Nov. 17 vs. VGK
Back in 2018, Ovechkin and the Capitals won the Stanley Cup in Vegas. There was less at stake in this game, but Ovi came through with a hat trick in the Caps’ 5-2 win: a first-period, power-play tally (assisted by John Carlson and Dylan Strome), a second-period score assisted by Matt Roy, and an empty-net goal to cap it off (assisted by Aliaksei Protas and Martin Fehervary).
0:46
Alex Ovechkin lights the lamp
Alex Ovechkin lights the lamp
0:33
Alex Ovechkin nets goal for Capitals
Alex Ovechkin nets goal for Capitals
0:48
Ovechkin’s 864th goal tips off defender’s stick
Alex Ovechkin nets his 864th career goal after his shot banks off Alex Pietrangelo’s stick.
No. 863, 862: Nov. 9, 2024 vs. STL
Did you seriously think that an 8-1 win for the Capitals would not include any goals from Ovechkin? Ovi scored in the second period (assisted by Aliaksei Protas and Dylan Strome) to make it 2-1, then added a power-play tally in the third (assisted by Strome and Tom Wilson) to make it 4-1.
0:48
Ovechkin tallies his 2nd goal of the game and 863rd of career
Alex Ovechkin’s wrist shot finds the net to pad the Capitals’ lead vs. the Blues and creep ever closer towards Gretzky’s scoring record.
0:49
Alex Ovechkin nets 862nd goal
Alex Ovechkin nets 862nd goal
No. 861: Nov. 6, 2024 vs. NSH
Ovechkin scored his eighth goal of the season at 10:25 of the third period on assists from Dylan Strome and Martin Fehervary.
1:04
Alex Ovechkin nets 861st NHL goal vs. Nashville
Alex Ovechkin nets 861st NHL goal vs. Nashville
No. 860: Nov. 3, 2024 vs. CAR
Though the Capitals lost, 4-2, Ovi notched a first-period, power-play tally, on assists from John Carlson and Dylan Strome.
0:40
Ovechkin tallies 860th goal, 34 away from tying Gretzky
Alex Ovechkin scores on the power play, which is his 860th career goal, making him 34 shy of tying Wayne Gretzky for the most goals of all time.
No. 859: Nov. 2, 2024 vs. CBJ
Ovechkin was one of six different Capitals to score in the team’s route of the BJs, and his goal was assisted by Dylan Strome and Aliaksei Protas.
0:44
Ovechkin tallies goal No. 859 for Capitals
Alex Ovechkin slaps it in from distance to get his 859th career goal and pad the Capitals’ lead vs. the Blue Jackets.
No. 858: Oct. 31, 2024 vs. MTL
A 6-3 Capitals win with an Ovechkin goal as the capper? The fans went home happy from this one. Assists on this goal were from Aliaksei Protas and Dylan Strome.
0:46
Alex Ovechkin tallies goal No. 858 for Caps
Alex Ovechkin pads the Capitals’ lead vs. the Canadiens with his 858th career goal.
No. 857, 856: Oct. 29, 2024 vs. NYR
A raucous, 5-3 win for the Capitals included two first-period tallies from Ovi, both assisted by Aliaksei Protas and Dylan Strome.
0:19
Alex Ovechkin’s 857th goal puts Capitals back on top
Alex Ovechkin nets his second goal of the first period to retake the Capitals’ early lead vs. the Rangers.
0:19
Alex Ovechkin 856th goal gets the Capitals on the board
Alex Ovechkin scores early in the first period to give the Capitals a quick 1-0 lead over the Rangers.
No. 855: Oct. 23, 2024 vs. PHI
Ovechkin has a knack for empty-net goals, and added to his career total in that category to cap off a win against Philly, with an assist from Dylan Strome.
0:43
Alex Ovechkin scores goal vs. Flyers
Alex Ovechkin scores goal vs. Flyers
No. 854: Oct. 19, 2024 vs. NJ
It took to the fourth game of the Capitals’ season for Ovechkin to get his first marker of the campaign, on assists from John Carlson and Dylan Strome.
0:47
Alex Ovechkin scores goal for Capitals
Alex Ovechkin nets goal for Capitals
Upcoming schedule
Note: All games available to ESPN+ subscribers at no extra charge as part of NHL Power Play on ESPN+, unless otherwise noted. Blackout restrictions apply.
Sun, Apr 6: at Islanders, 12:30 (TNT/truTV/Max)
Thu, Apr 10: vs. Carolina, 7:30
Sat, Apr 12: at Columbus, 7:00 (ABC/ESPN+)
Sun, Apr 13: vs. Columbus, 6:00
Tue, Apr 15: at Islanders, 8:00 (ESPN)
Thu, Apr 17: at Pittsburgh, 7:00 (ESPN)
-
Jorge Castillo
When New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns attempted to assemble the best possible roster for the 2025 season this winter, the top priority was signing outfielder Juan Soto. Next was the need to replenish the starting rotation and bolster the bullpen. Then, days before pitchers and catchers reported for spring training, the lineup received one final significant reinforcement when first baseman Pete Alonso re-signed.
Acquiring a player with a singing career on the side didn’t make the cut.
“No, that is not on the list,” Stearns said with a smile.
Stearns’ decision not to re-sign Jose Iglesias, the infielder behind the mic for the viral 2024 Mets anthem “OMG,” was attributed to creating more roster flexibility. But it also hammered home a reality: The scrappy 2024 Mets, authors of a magical summer in Queens, are a thing of the past. The 2025 Mets, who will report to Citi Field for their home opener Friday, have much of the same core but also some prominent new faces — and the new, outsized expectations that come with falling two wins short of the World Series, then signing Soto to the richest contract in professional sports history.
But there’s a question surrounding this year’s team that you can’t put a price tag on: Can these Mets rekindle the magic — the vibes, the memes, the feel-good underdog story — that seemed to come out of nowhere to help carry them to Game 6 of the National League Championship Series last season?
“Last year the culture was created,” Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor said. “It’s a matter of continuing it.”
For all the success Stearns has engineered — his small-market Milwaukee Brewers teams reached the postseason five times in eight seasons after he became the youngest general manager in history in 2015 — the 40-year-old Harvard grad, like the rest of his front office peers knows there’s no precise recipe for clubhouse chemistry. There is no culture projection system. No Vibes Above Replacement.
“Culture is very important,” Stearns said last weekend in the visiting dugout at Daikin Park before his club completed an opening-weekend series against the Houston Astros. “Culture is also very difficult to predict.”
Still, it seems the Mets’ 2024 season will be all but impossible to recreate.
There was Grimace, the purple McDonald’s blob who spontaneously became the franchise’s unofficial mascot after throwing out a first pitch in June. “OMG,” performed under Iglesias’ stage name, Candelita, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Latin Digital Songs chart, before a remix featuring Pitbull was released in October. Citi Field became a karaoke bar whenever Lindor stepped into the batter’s box with The Temptations’ “My Girl” as his walk-up song. Alonso unveiled a lucky pumpkin in October. They were gimmicks that might have felt forced if they hadn’t felt so right.
“I don’t know if what we did last year could be replicated because it was such a chaos-filled group,” Mets reliever Ryne Stanek said. “I don’t know if that’s replicable because there’s just too many things going on. I don’t know if that’s a sustainable model. But I think the expectation of winning is really important. I think establishing what we did last year and coming into this year where people are like, ‘Oh, no, that’s what we’re expecting to do,’ makes it different. It’s always a different vibe whenever you feel like you’re the hunter versus being the hunted.”
For the first two months last season, the Mets were terrible hunters. Lindor was relentlessly booed at Citi Field during another slow start. The bullpen got crushed. The losses piled up. The Mets began the season 0-5 and sunk to rock bottom on May 29 when reliever Jorge Lopez threw his glove into the stands during a 10-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers that dropped the team to 22-33.
That night, the Mets held a players-only meeting. From there, perhaps coincidentally, everything changed. The Mets won the next day, and 67 of their final 107 games.
This year, to avoid an early malaise and to better incorporate new faces like Soto and Opening Day starter Clay Holmes, players made it a point to hold meetings during spring training to lay a strong foundation.
“At the end of the day, we know who we are and that’s the beauty of our club,” Alonso said. “Not just who we are talent-wise, but who each individual is as a man and a personality. For us, our major, major strength is our collective identity as a unit.”
Organizationally, the Mets are attempting a dual-track makeover: Becoming perennial World Series contenders while not taking themselves too seriously.
The commemorative purple Grimace seat installed at Citi Field in September — Section 302, Row 6, Seat 12 in right field — remains there as part of a two-year contract. Last week, the franchise announced it will feature a New York-city themed “Five Borough” race at every home game — with a different mascot competing to represent each borough. For a third straight season, USA Today readers voted Citi Field — home of the rainbow cookie egg roll, among many other innovative treats — as having the best ballpark food in baseball.
In the clubhouse, their identity is evolving.
“I’m very much in the camp that you can’t force things,” Mets starter Sean Manaea said. “I mean, you can, but you don’t really end up with good results. And if you wait for things to happen organically, then sometimes it can take too long. So, there’s like a nudging of sorts. It’s like, ‘Let’s kind of come up with something, but not force it.’ So there’s a fine balance there and you just got to wait and see what happens.”
Stearns believes it starts with what the Mets can control: bringing positive energy every day and fostering a family atmosphere. It’s hard to quantify, but vibes undoubtedly helped fuel the Mets’ 2024 success. It’ll be a tough act to follow.
“It’s fluid,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “I like where guys are at as far as the team chemistry goes and things like that and the connections and the relationships. But it’ll continue to take some time. And winning helps, clearly.”
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business3 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway