A Hat Trick Away From Passing Gretzky, Ovechkin & Capitals Embracing The Moment

ARLINGTON, V.A. — Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin smiles wide as he stares out at the ice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex.

He just wrapped up morning skate and is ready to welcome a large caravan to Capital One Arena on Friday — consisting of family, friends, Wayne Gretzky and Gary Bettman, among others — as he sits three goals away from setting the NHL's new all-time goals record.

There's excitement and enthusiasm in the air as Ovechkin looks to an ever-growing frenzy of media, who acknowledge his good move. He laughs.

"I'm always in a good mood, man," he insists.

Ovechkin will get his next shot at continuing his "GR8 Chase" against the Chicago Blackhawks at home, a team he already had a milestone hat trick just over two years ago to hit 800 career goals.

Still, he's not getting ahead of himself, and his mindset hasn't changed.

"(It's the) same. Game by game, I think what's happening in hockey right now, it's great for hockey, it's great for D.C. it's pretty cool,'" Ovechkin said, adding, "How I said, I'm just focusing on my game... we'll see what's gonna happen. If you gonna thinking about it too much, it's gonna be hard to do."

That said, he and his teammates are basking in the moment, knowing what they're experiencing in this instant is something out of a storybook.

"It’s something that you can’t really explain because none of us have ever been through something like this, so we’re enjoying every minute of it," Dylan Strome said. "You’ll see the building tonight come alive pretty easily."

At this point, Ovechkin, 39, has become used to the outside noise and the attention, and as he scores goal after goal to move closer, the anticipation grows.

What doesn't change, though, is Ovi remains... well, Ovi. Unabashedly himself. And that means just loving hockey and going one shift at a time.

"Everybody have fun right now, everything's happening, lots of attention, lots of fans, you guys," Ovechkin said. "You just have to enjoy it."