It was 2008 and Alex Ovechkin was an up-and-coming star for the Washington Capitals. He was embarking on his first Hart (NHL MVP) and Maurice “Rocket” Richard (NHL goal leader) trophies in just his third season in the league. That is why, owner Ted Leonsis and his front office inked Ovechkin to a record 13-year contract worth $124 million. Fast forward ten years, Ovechkin is two games shy of becoming the first player to play 1,000 games in a Capitals uniform.
Ovechkin has done just about everything imaginable for an individual. He now has three Hart trophies in his collection and is on par to win his record seventh Rocket trophy — as he leads the league with 45 goals with five games remaining. The only thing omitted from his lengthy list of accomplishments is the Lord Stanley Cup.
The Capitals’ postseason failures are well-documented. The last two second-round exits to the eventual Stanley Cup champion, Pittsburgh Penguins, are fresh in everyone’s mind. So, when it was time to reflect on the past 13 seasons employing this generation’s greatest goal scorer, Leonsis, thought of only one regret signing Ovechkin to such a mega deal.
“Do I have any regrets?” Leonsis pondered, according to Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press. “Yeah, my regret is it wasn’t a 15-year contract.”
Ovechkin was asked the same question later, and his response fell right in line with his owner.
“If I take time back, I would sign for 16 years,” Ovechkin professed, per Whyno.
There appears to be no real regrets. Ovechkin has become an icon in Washington and the Capitals organization has dealt with a decade of relevancy thanks to their superstar. Sure, there are no Stanley Cup banners hanging in the rafters of Capital One Arena but the greatest span of hockey in the franchise history has been ever so enjoyable — even with the annual spring heartache.
Ovechkin is a sure-fire Hall of Famer. Earlier this month, he became the fourth-fastest player in league history to 600 career goals.
Looking back, Leonsis hit the jackpot rolling the dice on the 13-year contract. He bet on the positives outweighing the negatives, even when he was being advised by against such a move by then-NBA Commissioner David Stern.
“David Stern called me and said, ‘Boy, you are going to live to regret this.’ He said, I think it was, ‘I thought you were a smart guy and that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen. How will the player stay motivated and what is the incentive if you’re not playing for your next contract?’ And that was the basic fundamental. And I said I totally understand and time will tell, but I really believe in Alex Ovechkin,” Leonsis recalled.
The Capitals are on the cusp of their third straight division title, eighth in the Ovechkin era. Ovechkin seems to be playing just as great as he did when he inked the 13-year deal 10 years ago. With no signs of slowing down, there is no telling how much longer he can sustain the level of play.
There are three years remaining on the deal following this season. But Leonsis, warns it’s too early to think about another deal. Right now, the focus is to bring home the franchise’s first NHL championship.
