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Sunday Caps Clips: G’day, N8!

Daily Washington Capitals news and notes: A rookie named Nate and Alex the Gr8 make history in a home-opener victory over the Habs.

By EmilyB

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NHL: Montreal Canadiens at Washington Capitals Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports

Your savory breakfast links:

  • Recaps and other assorted musings on last night’s win from us, Vogs, NHL, WaPo, NBCS-DC (gamer, rewind), CP, AP, PHT, WashTimes, Peerless, Frankovic, FiCP, RMNB, NoVa Caps, and from the visitors’ bench, Eyes on the Prize, Rabid Habs, Le Forum Hockey, and Montreal Gazette with this beauty of an observation - “Karl Alzner received a standing ovation from the Washington fans midway through the first period during a video tribute [ed - see below] — which was the highlight of the night for the Canadiens.”
  • Oh, Alex! Alex Ovechkin authored a scoring spree for the record books as his second-game-of-the-season first-period hat trick, combined with his first-game-of-the-season third-period hat trick was a feat that had not been achieved in a century - the three players with hat tricks in the first two games of the NHL’s very first season in 1917 will now make room for a fourth...
  • ... Joe Malone (of Montreal!!!) now shares TWO records with Ovi:
  • Ev’ryone has a taek on the great start to Ovi’s season... [NBCS-DC, NHL.com, theScore, Sport-Express, Caps Outsider, ESPN]
  • ... including his teammates, who are just as dazzled as everyone else... [RMNB]
  • ... but I really liked this one - the timeliest hot streak of the Gr8’s career. [The Athletic]
  • Welcome to the NHL, and welcome to the history books to Nathan Walker, the very first player from Australia to face off on NHL ice. And when he scored his first goal, the game went from historic to legendary:
  • ... Nate’s Aussie posse arrived early at Kettler:
  • ... the fans were ready too:
  • ... Nate got the traditional rookie solo lap:
  • ... lots of love from his fellow Australian sportsmen (plus a stray Kiwi):
  • ... and the not-quite-so-traditional first goal in the National Hockey League:
  • ... which made his mama (and his fiancee) SO HAPPY [NHL.com]:
  • ... and earned him a nice attaboy from his captain:
  • ... and the coveted “Hockey Night in Canada” towel (!) complete with interview on Canadian teevee:
  • ... plus a very happy agent: