Carolina Hurricanes have front-row seat to ‘Gr8 Chase,’ but hope to watch it from afar
Dmitry Orlov played more than a decade with Alexander Ovechkin in Washington, winning a Stanley Cup, before coming to the Carolina Hurricanes, and considers him a good friend worthy of breaking a hallowed record.
Andrei Svechnikov grew up in Russia, in some ways emulating Ovechkin, the power forward with the booming shot, and later learned firsthand that his countryman packs a punch on the ice.
Then there’s Frederik Andersen. The Canes’ veteran goalie has had to deal with that booming shot and tried to stop the guy who wears No. 8 and is known to many as “The Great Eight.”
As Ovechkin nears Wayne Gretzky’s career NHL goal-scoring record, for years seemingly unassailable, the Capitals superstar has many closely tracking his every game, his every shot, in the countdown that has been dubbed the “Gr8 Chase.”
The number to beat: 894 goals. Ovechkin’s total was 891 after a power-play goal Monday in the Caps’ 4-3 win at Boston.
“That’s amazing. No one ever thought that (record) would be touched,” Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “Having a front-row seat and having seen so many of his goals, you just tip your hat. It’s going to happen and it’s going to be special when it does happen.”
The Caps played Tuesday against the Boston Bruins before coming to the Lenovo Center on Wednesday to face the Hurricanes. The Canes and Caps also have a game April 10 in Washington.
“It, for sure, is so fun to watch,” Orlov said. “Everybody is waiting and watching. He has all the attention, the way it should be. It’s awesome. I’m just happy for him.”
Orlov has had a front-row seat
Playing parts of 11 seasons with Ovechkin, Orlov was there to witness many of his goals. The defenseman also has tried to help harness Ovechkin the past two seasons with the Canes.
But it’s almost time for the record of “The Great One” to fall. Orlov said there is national pride involved in seeing a Russian eclipse it, but that it’s more than that.
“With me, there’s the friendship we have, but I think a lot of people who don’t even know him and follow him as a fan are cheering for him,” Orlov said. “It’s the way it should be. Gretzky will be following him to see the goals. I think that it’s pretty good the league is showing a lot of attention. Who knows, it may not happen again.
“With Gretzky, no one would think maybe 10 years ago that it would happen. So it should be all over the world that everybody should follow it when he gets the goals and when he breaks the Gretzky record, because it makes our league more popular.”
Orlov said he has been on the ice for one goal-against by Ovechkin: this season in the Nov. 3 game at the Lenovo Center. It came on a one-timer from the left circle on the power play — “Ovi’s office” — when the Caps had a two-man advantage. The Canes won the game, 4-2.
Record-setting career
Ovechkin, playing his 20th season at age 39, has had nine seasons of 50 or more goals. His career high: 65 in 2007-2008, his third year in the NHL.
Ovechkin’s shot has been clocked at more than 101 mph. Stepping in front of it, former Canes defenseman Brett Pesce once said his only thought was: “Close your eyes and pray it doesn’t hit you in the wrong spot and doesn’t break anything.”
Ovechkin already holds NHL career records in scoring titles (9), power-play goals, overtime goals and shots on goal. Then again, Gretzky‘s career records include assists (1,963), points (2,857), even-strength goals (617) and shorthanded goals (73).
“To play the way he has and not miss that many games, you can see how strong he is,” Orlov said of Ovechkin, who looks like a linebacker on skates at 6-foot-3 and 238 pounds. “He has always been that way. It comes from God and from his parents, his strength. He is just a muscle machine.
“Everyone knows he has the great shot, the heavy shot. He knows how to score and knows how to find a way all the time.”
Orlov grinned, adding, “The goalies know.”
‘A heavy shot’
Andersen does. He has faced the Caps 15 times in his career (9-4-2 record) with Anaheim, Toronto and Carolina and said he has given up nine goals to No. 8.
“He’s got a heavy shot and he’s happy to shoot it every time he gets it,” Andersen said. “Mathematically, with the pure volume of shots and that type of shot, it’s going to go in a lot. That shot is just so powerful. And he gets a lot of shots on net. Few miss the net and help the goalie.
“It’s an incredible feat that he’s getting to this point and really close. It’s cool to see what he’s doing at his age. He’s been a machine. I don’t know what they’ve been feeding him over there in Russia, but he keeps going. And it’s a great thing for hockey.”
Andersen said his first encounter with Ovechkin was not in the NHL but in playing for Denmark against Russia in the World Championships. Andersen said Ovechkin had a breakaway and had his attempt smack the crossbar with a lot of force.
“It felt like the puck was in the air for a full minute,” Andersen said.
Later came a Stanley Cup playoff series against Washington when Andersen was with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“He was hitting everything in that series,” Andersen said. “He was just this big, strong guy, big body, and he was not just one-dimensional. It wasn’t just his shot. He played hard and used his physicality as well.”
‘The whole world is talking about it’
Svechnikov tested out Ovechkin’s physicality as a Canes rookie in the 2019 playoffs. The two squared off and dropped the gloves, Ovechkin getting in the biggest punches for a knockout.
That has since been chalked up as a learning experience by Svechnikov with no hard feelings — “It’s fine. Just hockey, you know?” he said. Ovechkin is Russia’s biggest sports hero, Svechnikov said, and he is proud that he has reached this point and will hold the career record.
Ovechkin missed some time this season mending a broken fibula, but had 38 goals in 58 games after scoring Tuesday against Boston.
“I think he’s the most famous hockey player in the world, not just in North America but all over the world,” Svechnikov said. “I feel like the whole world is talking about it.
“Obviously I don’t want it to happen against us. But in watching it, I wish that he beats it as fast as he can. It’s going to be fun to see”
This story was originally published April 1, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
