Blackhawks processing mixed emotions after watching Alex Ovechkin tie NHL's career goals record

WASHINGTON — The 2024-25 Blackhawks became a part of history Friday.

Alex Ovechkin scored his 893rd and 894th career goals, tying Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record, in the Capitals’ 5-3 victory against them.

Being on the losing end of yet another close game — especially one with such intensity, a rarity for them this season — isn’t something they’ll celebrate. But it’s also not something they’ll beat themselves up about.

After the game, every Hawks player found himself trying to reconcile several emotions: awe of Ovechkin, appreciation of their opportunity to be involved in such a momentous occasion and frustration about the outcome.

Hawks rookie Oliver Moore, for example, now has a unique story he can tell about the night he earned his first and second NHL points.

‘‘That was a surreal game; that was absurd,’’ said Moore, who was in college just last week. ‘‘We don’t want him scoring goals against us. But [with] the crowd reaction and everything, we don’t really get that experience. Only a handful of people can say they’ve ever gotten to see that on the ice. But it’s a tough way to lose, going into the third [period] with a lead again.’’

Moore added he was ‘‘happy for [Ovechkin], to be honest,’’ but also ‘‘pissed’’ about the outcome.

The only solace for the Hawks might be that they prevented Ovechkin from notching his 895th, the highlight of which likely will be replayed many times more in the years to come than his two goals Friday will be.

Hawks goalie Spencer Knight, given the unenviable start, stopped Ovechkin several times in the final minutes to avoid becoming an interesting part of hockey trivia. He was in good spirits afterward, joking that his only advantage during the late onslaught was knowing Ovechkin wasn’t going to pass.

The entire Hawks team stayed on the ice at Capital One Arena to honor Ovechkin after the final horn sounded.

‘‘Obviously, I gave him congrats and all that,’’ Knight said. ‘‘He was like, ‘Thanks, brother’ — something like that. I was like, ‘Thank you for not scoring on me the last one.’ ’’

Ovechkin scored less than four minutes into the game — burying a pass from former Hawks forward Dylan Strome, who has become a top-tier center in Washington — to send the crowd into a frenzy and raise the stakes.

Tyler Bertuzzi, Frank Nazar and Philipp Kurashev scored to put the Hawks ahead 3-2 at the second intermission, but Ovechkin ripped home a signature power-play one-timer early in the third — he was already the league leader in power-play goals — to clear the benches and also put the Capitals ahead for good.

‘‘He’s got a tremendous shot, right? He just finds pockets to get open,’’ Knight said. ‘‘I wasn’t around to see Gretzky play — I was a little too young — but you’ve got guys in this league also that you’ll think of down the road and you’ll tell your kids about. That’s our generation. It’s cool to see, and it’s great for the sport.’’

Gretzky, who was in attendance alongside NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, said he was ‘‘so happy’’ for Ovechkin and for the league.

‘‘Alex said, ‘Don’t [come] here until I get to two [goals away],’ ’’ Gretzky said. ‘‘I thought yesterday, ‘Gosh, we better get on the plane and get up there because he might get three.’ When he scored four minutes in, I thought, ‘Oh, my God, we might be able to leave after the first period.’ ’’

"My grandfather was Russian; he [would] be really happy that a Russian broke my record. So good for Alex."

Hawks captain Nick Foligno, who has faced Ovechkin 46 times throughout his career, raved about one of Ovechkin's often overlooked traits before the game.

"The biggest thing I take away from 'Ovi' is his passion: When he scores, he's genuinely excited," Foligno said. "I think sometimes that's lost in the players now, where I don't see as much excitement. This guy has done it [nearly] 900 times, and he's still as excited as his first one. There's something to be said about that. When you love to score goals, it attracts those to you."

Nights like Friday provide stark reminders of how far away the Hawks are from being able to compete with guys like him and the rest of the league's best. The Hawks put up a valiant fight at times, but they seemed like little more than fodder for the home team’s show at other times.

General manager Kyle Davidson's vision to — and expectation that he will — build this torn-down organization back into a Stanley Cup contender is certainly difficult to imagine right now, regardless of the promise of their many young players and prospects.

But those young players at least gained some experience in a playoff-like environment Friday.