"I think he's the greatest goal-scorer of all time... it was a lot more fun to see him take that one-timer or see that iconic shot of his and celebrate the goals," the former Capitals winger said.
For the last three and a half years, Garnet Hathaway was on the same side as Alex Ovechkin, watching him hit milestone after milestone with the Washington Capitals. Now, after signing a two-year deal with the Philadelphia Flyers, he'll be watching from the outside -- and he knows it won't be easy.
Hathaway praised Ovechkin in his introductory Zoom call, discussing what it's been like to play alongside him as he chases down Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record while also looking at the flip side of now having to face the 38-year-old scoring machine.
"I don't think there's another player like Ovi," Hathaway said. "I think he's the greatest goal-scorer of all time... it was a lot more fun to see him take that one-timer or see that iconic shot of his and celebrate the goals."
Of course, the two have played against each other before, but not often; Hathaway was a member of the Western Conference Calgary Flames prior to joining the Capitals, so he didn't run into Ovechkin often. Then with the Boston Bruins following his trade in February, he didn't face Ovechkin, as the 38-year-old was injured when both teams squared off.
Ovechkin is now at 822 goals and 73 from passing Gretzky. His iconic shot from the office and other methods of scoring have plagued teams for years and led to his record-breaking 13th 40-goal season in 2022-23 despite missing nine games.
While Hathaway is aware of the damage his former captain can do, he is embracing the challenge of facing him and his other friends on the Capitals.
"This will be my fourth team in my career, so I’m getting more comfortable playing against guys that I’ve played with, but he’s one you’re always going to have to pay attention to," Hathaway said. "There’s a lot of high skill in this league, but I don’t think there’s a goal scorer like him.”
When it comes to what he hopes to bring to the Flyers, Hathaway said he's looking forward to being the same physical presence he's always been, but he also wants to embrace a leadership role.
"I’ve been really fortunate to play with a lot of successful guys in this league, guys who’ve won Stanley Cups and awesome leaders. And you know, I’ve been on, as you look at it, I’ve been on older teams... now I’m on the other side of the spectrum there, and I’m one of the older guys, but I love to say that I’m still in my prime, too," Hathaway said. "It’s one of those things I’ve tried to pick up lots of things from the players that I’ve been able to play with and find out what it takes to be successful, what it takes to get a group to pull together to get where they want to be.
"I’m excited to take that step into that position... I probably haven’t had as prominent of a talking role in a room; I’ve been more of a listener. But that’s something that I think this opportunity will really be in front of me.”
The 31-year-old is also looking forward to playing under head coach John Tortorella and said he has heard "unbelievable things" about the coaching staff and the entire Flyers organization, which made it easy to sign with the club in free agency.
"He's a very honest coach. He’s not someone who’s gonna sugarcoat things, but he’s going to demand the best out of you effort-wise too. And I think that’s going to go really hand in hand with being a competitive team and getting through this process," Hathaway said of Tortorella. "Every game, you want to build your game throughout the season. You want to be better than the game prior, and you want to continue that. So you know, I heard, ‘Get ready for camp.’ Because I don’t think there’s another one like it. But I think once you put that effort in, you have that willingness to work to get to that goal that you achieve within the room; it makes it all worth it.”