Alexander Ovechkin is not only a great sniper, but also a real captain. Most recently, after a game against Los Angeles, he kept his teammates on the ice to say goodbye to Kings legend Anze Kopitar, who is in his final season. And last year, Ovechkin similarly expressed his respect to Minnesota goalkeeper Marc-Andre Fleury.

The leadership qualities of the Russian forward are also evident during matches. He has already acted many times to the detriment of personal statistics for the sake of achieving his teammates. So, in the match against Anaheim, he gave up a goal so that his friend could perform a sniper feat!

First hat-trick

Last season was a truly breakthrough season for Belarusian forward Alexei Protas. During the regular season, Protas rewrote his personal records for goals scored and assists. The forward’s progress was facilitated by the confident play of Washington, which led the Eastern Conference. It is easier to score points on the team that scores and wins more often than others in the league.

Alexey added thanks to his captain. In an interview, the Belarusian repeatedly spoke about the importance of Ovechkin in the development of his career.

“You can admire Ovechkin’s inexhaustible hunger for the game, his desire to win every match, his leadership qualities. And, of course, his human qualities. I have already talked a lot about how he helped me in everyday life and in adapting to the team. How he gave me his car, how he always invited me to his home or when he went somewhere to eat,” Protas said.

Over 65 matches, the striker scored 55 (25+30) points, which was significantly better than his previous personal record of 29 (6+23) in 72 meetings of the 2023/24 season. Perhaps, Protas needed to do only one thing to reach the next level – score the first hat-trick of his career. In the away match against Anaheim, which took place on March 11, he took a step towards this goal already in the first period. But before his goal was scored, other players managed to show off.

First, in the third minute, Dylan Strome opened the scoring with a pass from Ovechkin. The Ducks then responded twice, hitting Logan Thompson’s goal with efforts from Jacob Trouba and Andrew Helleson. And with the score 2:1 in favor of Anaheim, Protas entered the scoresheet. In the 18th minute, after winning a throw-in, the Washington captain immediately threw towards the goal and hit the defender. The Belarusian forward was the first to react to the rebound and fired into the open corner from close range.

Alexey Protas / Photo: © Sean M. Haffey / Staff / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

The second period turned out to be surprisingly uneventful: the spectators in the stands of the Honda Center saw only one goal scored by visiting striker Pierre-Luc Dubois. But in the final period of the game, the teams scored six goals between them.

The hockey festival began with Russian defender Pavel Mintyukov, who equalized the score – 4:4. Just 31 seconds later, Protas scored a double to give the Capitals the lead again. This time Tom Wilson rushed into the zone at speed and threw it at the goalkeeper’s pads, and Alexei played the finishing touch. “Anaheim” did not crumble even after another missed goal: in the 47th minute, Frank Vatrano upset Logan Thompson with a pass from Mintyukov.

It seemed that the meeting would go into overtime, but Washington managed to score twice more. At the end of the period, the hosts’ coaching staff replaced the goalkeeper with a sixth field player, but the final assault did not work out. 17 seconds before the siren, Ovechkin intercepted the puck on his blue line and could easily hit the empty goal with a long-range throw.

Considering that Alexander, who at that time had 886 goals to his name, was still hunting for Wayne Gretzky’s record (894), this decision was obvious. But the Russian passed the ball to Protas, who put an end to the match – 7:4. The Capitals’ leader sacrificed a goal for his teammate’s first hat-trick – the act of a true captain. And there is no doubt that if a similar moment occurs in the upcoming match between Washington and Anaheim, Ovechkin will make a similar decision.