Your savory breakfast links:
- We scoured the record books and leaderboards for some of the more entertaining ways to contextualize all that went into #895. [Rink]
- 895 the Bobblehead! 895 the Teddy Bear! 895 the Flamethrower! …the kids love this one. [Rink]
- Alex Ovechkin earned the NHL’s first star of the week honors for scoring five goals in four games (plus that whole making history, becoming the true GOAT thing). [NHL, Caps]
- Nicklas Backstrom was a huge part of getting Ovechkin to 895 – even if he had to watch him finally get there from the stands. Ugh. [WaPo]
- Now that he’s got the record, could Ovechkin call it quits after this year? (No.) [WaPo]
- After all, there are still more records to break! [RMNB]
- The Capitals’ social media team has been very busy (unsurprisingly) and posting amazing things but this celebration slideshow and compilation of the goal from every angle…chef’s kiss.
- Speaking of incredible, get a peek inside the Monumental control room where the wonderful folks in charge of sharing the moment did amazing at balancing their joy with getting the job done:
- The joy from Ovechkin breaking the record spread throughout DC, throughout the hockey world, and even transcended the sport. [WTOP, AP]
- A few leftovers from Sunday’s game. [Rink, RMNB]
- While he was invited to the Tonight Show to share the achievement, Ovechkin opted for what was best for himself and, more importantly, for the team. As he so often has. [RMNB]
- One of the many reasons why this achievement is so stunning is in the numerous ways it could have (and sometimes did) go wrong. [Caps Outsider]
- A one-on-one chat with Alex Ovechkin about everything but the goals record. [THN]
- The growth in hockey in the DC area, known as the “Ovi Effect”, long precedes the chase for 895. [NHL]
- 11 different goalies gave up goals to both Ovechkin and Gretzky in their career; six of them share what it was like to face the greatest goal-scorer in history (and also that #99 guy). [NHL]
- As for the one man who has played with them both, and others who have faced or coached against him, the ability to score a lot of goals is where the similarities end for 8 and 99. [AP]
- We all know about The List. There’s another, much shorter list of goalies who never gave up a goal to Alex Ovechkin during the chase…and they now get this special commemorative can of non-alc beer. Amazing. [SI]
- The all-time goals record by the numbers. [SI]
- Post-record, the captain, his family and friends, and all of his teammates celebrated back in DC at a favorite Dupont Circle restaurant. [Washingtonian]
- The Gr8 Chase has already raised over $120,000 for pediatric cancer research, which is truly incredible. [@NHLPA]
- Is there anyone who can challenge Ovechkin’s goal record? (Our thoughts: probably not anyone who’s currently playing…but records are made to be broken.) [SI]
- Two things can be true, Rod Brind’Amour: some people in the media are morons, and also your player tried to kill Connor McMichael and got away with it, you sleazy piece of sh-…ahem. Rematch Thursday. [THN-CAR]