Alex Ovechkin’s chase for Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal-scoring record continues. But on Tuesday, he passed up the chance to score an empty-netter to help a teammate instead—and fans couldn’t praise him enough for it.
Ovechkin is having a season for the ages. Despite suffering a broken leg early on, he’s on pace for a record-breaking year. He remains laser-focused on surpassing Gretzky’s all-time goals record, and it’s looking increasingly likely he’ll do it before the regular season ends. But Ovechkin isn’t the only Capital enjoying a stellar campaign.
Aliaksei Protas has already set career highs, and on Tuesday, he added another milestone. Earlier in the game, he had already scored twice when Ovechkin gained possession in the Washington Capitals’ defensive zone with an empty net ahead of him. Given his history of scoring empty-netters, many expected Ovi to take the shot—especially since a goal would put him just eight away from passing Gretzky.
Alex Ovechkin’s incredible gesture
But instead of scoring the 887th goal of his career, Ovechkin dished the puck to Protas, setting him up for his first NHL hat trick. Fans flooded social media with praise for Ovechkin’s unselfishness, and his joy for his teammate was obvious as he threw his hands in the air while skating into the celebration.
After the game, Protas didn’t hold back in expressing what Ovechkin means to the team—both on and off the ice.
“We all know him as an unselfish player first and foremost,” Protas said. “He was so happy for me—maybe even happier than when he scores. It says a lot about him as a teammate, a leader, and a captain. That’s why we win. We’re happy for each other, and we compete for each other.”
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