Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom share a moment after the Capitals captain passed Wayne Gretzky. (Screencap/Capitals) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/81215ef1-9312-4fe9-a7a1-030cb6e92718.png] Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom share a moment after the Capitals captain passed Wayne Gretzky. (Screencap/Capitals) Nicklas Backstrom held back tears as he embraced captain and longtime friend and teammate Alex Ovechkin in the locker room, congratulating the Washington Capitals captain for doing the impossible and breaking Wayne Gretzky's all-time NHL goals record. It was the last stop on what's been a momentous journey for the "duo," as they've been coined. After the two shared a moment together, they posed for a photo with the record-breaking puck, and then Ovechkin planted a kiss right on Backstrom's cheek. "It means a lot. Very special night. He’s one of those players that it’s not going to happen for a while," Backstrom said. No player has assisted on more Ovechkin goals than Backstrom, who helped set up 279 of his now-record 895. From the day Backstrom was drafted, he and Ovechkin were linked; the Russian even announced Backstrom's selection at the 2006 NHL Draft. At that point, the two became linemates, tasked with transforming D.C. into a hockey town. They did that, and then some, helping the Capitals finally hoist the Stanley Cup in 2018 and of course, lifting Ovechkin closer and closer to hockey immortality. "It’s very impressive to do what he’s been doing for this many years. I know how hard this league is. So, for him to be doing this at his age is remarkable and scoring the record is incredible. too.” He’s broke one of the records that no one thought was going to be broken, so with that being said, that’s the kind of goal scorer he is." Backstrom's run with the Capitals came to an end in 2023 amid ongoing complications with his hip, and though he wished he could've been on the ice for Ovechkin to pass the Great One, his legacy remained. Ovechkin never forgot his main setup man along the way. That's why when he saw Backstrom for the first time after achieving the milestone, he, himself, was overcome with emotion. "As soon as I saw Nicky, I just want to cry. And we hold. Because he was such a big part of my success, and we're growing up together. We play together. We've been in so many different situations together," Ovechkin said. "And that relationship and that moment when him and Osh being here, yeah, it's tremendous. The support, it's always been like that. I tell them, 'Without you, I would never reach that milestone.'" After the game on Long Island, which featured a 22-minute ceremony mid-game, a postgame media frenzy and quite a few beers, Ovechkin and the Capitals took the festivities back to D.C., where Backstrom joined to continue celebrating with his winger — a celebration that will certainly, continue now forever. "He's a pure goal scorer, and he's got that fantastic shot, he’s a good personality. He is who he is," Backstrom smiled. "He’s the same person he is outside from inside the locker room. He’s the same person when he got to the League from now. That’s who he is and that’s why so many people love him and cheer for him.”
