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ARLINGTON, V.A. — The Washington Capitals are running out of ways to describe Alex Ovechkin. There's just not enough words — and too many at the same time — to describe just how much he means to the team.
Over the last 20 years, the captain has set the standard as the greatest goal scorer in NHL history, but beyond the 897 goals to his name, there's more to what he brings on a daily basis.
Not only has he established a winning culture in D.C., but Ovechkin has led by example for his teammates, serving as a mentor and game-changer when the time calls for it.
"Crazy is one way to put it. I mean, you can throw a whole bunch of different words in the middle, and I don't think anybody knows (how he does it at 39)," Tom Wilson said. "If they had the blueprint, they'd be making Ovis, and I don't see that happening."
Ovechkin carried over his remarkable 44-goal season into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, picking up a team-leading four goals and adding an assist to help lead Washington back to the second round for the first time in seven years.
For the 39-year-old, it's all just part of the job.
“This is the most fun time of the year," Ovechkin said. "You work through all the summer, though the whole year 82 games and this is it. This is the final step and it’s a hard one.”
Not only that, but he's led the way physically; he has 19 hits through just five games so far, just one behind Brandon Duhaime for the most on the Capitals so far this postseason.
“I think in the playoffs, everything is changing, like intense, speed-wise, physicality as well," Ovechkin noted, adding, "In the playoffs, you have to make a hit because that guy can beat you up the ice and he can score a goal.”
As the Capitals play host to the Carolina Hurricanes to open what's going to be a rough-and-tumble series, the team will again look to its leader to set the tone.
"I think it's big. I think it's big for everyone as the captain. He's not just trying to score goals and light up the goalie. He's making defensive plays," John Carlson said, adding, "You look back at those plays when the captain's doing it or a guy like him, that resonates with everybody."
And at the end of the day, Ovechkin is ready for the task at hand.
“Everybody knows (Carolina's) style: aggressive, lots of speed, lots of shots," Ovechkin said. "So we have to be ready for it.”
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