Alex Ovechkin's NHL record chase provides a Capitals connection for Washington and Moscow

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — The goal horn went off at Bugsy's Pizza Restaurant and Sports Bar as it does every time the Washington Capitals score a goal. Bar manager Armenia Marconi was working downstairs and scurried up to see who it was. Sure enough, Alex Ovechkin. Goal 891 to move closer to breaking Wayne Gretzky's NHL record. Marconi grabbed the remote control for the goal counter hanging above the bar, and fans inside the popular neighborhood hockey bar who were waiting in anticipation erupted again. "It was like he scored again," she said. "As soon as it went down to 4, the whole bar started cheering." Firefighter James Mazzara, watching from home, had the same reaction. His firehouse around the corner from the Capitals' arena in Washington also has a counter out front, so he immediately texted a colleague who was working to remind him to update the number. "We stay on top of it as much as we can," Mazzara said. Reminders of Ovechkin's pursuit of Gretzky's record are everywhere in the nation's capital and surrounding suburbs, including more than a dozen "GR8 Chase" goal counters in places like the original Ben's Chili Bowl and the Georgetown Waterfront, where the longtime captain and his teammates celebrated winning the Stanley Cup in 2018 by swimming in fountains. There are also 'ight-up goal counters and messages of encouragement in Ovechkin's hometown of Moscow as his pursuit of the milestone nears its end. He was at 892, two away from tying Gretzky and three from setting the record going into a home game Friday night against Chicago. "You're not stopping it," said veteran coach Paul Maurice of the Florida Panthers. "He's going to break the record. It is an incredible record. This is beyond generational because nobody was breaking that record." The GR8 chase It feels more like matter of when, not if, Ovechkin passes Gretzky's legendary mark of 894, considered by many to be untouchable. The Capitals have seven games left before the playoffs, which means Ovechkin has seven games left because the record reflects only regular-season goals. Otherwise, he would pick up the pursuit next season. The NHL created an entire microsite to document the chase. The Capitals have an online way for people to check in from where they are watching from. There are free lawn signs to display. "We knew when thinking about the (Washington area) and even across the world that people would want to be counting together, so digital is one thing, but there's certainly something special about having the more traditional countdown clock," said Amanda Tischler, Capitals senior VP of marketing. "(The hope was) these different places across the city would have fun counting down until he hits this major milestone." Goal counters went to more than a half-dozen youth hockey rinks in Maryland and northern Virginia, national NHL TV rightsholders ESPN and TNT and to local institutions with Capitals connections, like Ben's Chili Bowl, which has been a local staple since opening in 1958. "We're honored to have one of the goal trackers at Ben's," said Vida Ali, one of the family members who runs the restaurant. "When the Capitals won the Stanley Cup in 2018, this is one of the places they brought the Stanley Cup. Now another exciting moment, and what an amazing time for the Caps and Ovi." The GR8 meaning The Cup also visited Mazzara's firehouse, DCFD-Engine 2 & Rescue Squad 1, seven years ago, and it's still a place where the Capitals are front of mind. It is so close to the arena that the goal horn can be heard from just outside the front ramp on quiet days. "We'll hear that and then we'll go running in the back or we'll be watching it — we have a TV in the engine bay — and we'll watch it and in the distance you can hear the horn go off," said Mazzara, the rescue squad wagon driver for platoon No. 4. "It's just so much fun to watch. It's fun to see the city come together, all the fans. It takes you away from real life. You go out there, and everybody's enjoying it." The mood is likewise festive at Bugsy's, the pizza place opened by former Capitals player Bryan Watson and his wife in 1983 and later rebranded with his nickname from his NHL days. Watson died in 2021, but his memory lives on. "He'd come up here all the time and just sit down with customers — sometimes you didn't even know he was the owner, much less a hockey player," said Marconi, who knew Watson for a decade. "He's still part of Bugsy's and people come in all the time asking to see his pictures and the stories that were left behind because of him. There's a lot of stories that I still tell that he used to tell me, and the connection there, it's unbreakable." The goal counter hangs above the bar with sticks underneath from Hall of Fame legends Jean Beliveau, Stan Mikita and Bobby Hull. Ovechkin passed Beliveau (507 goals) with a hat trick on Feb. 11, 2016; Mikita (541) on Dec. 31 that year; and Hull (610) on Oct. 10, 2018. Nearby are framed jerseys of Mario Lemieux (690), who Ovechkin passed Jan. 18, 2020, and Mark Messier (694), who was passed 13 days later. "The town is going crazy," Marconi said. "There's people who have been coming here for 30-plus years, but to see the new faces coming in just excited about this, it's great to be part of it." At Ben's, the goal counter is on the back wall above the old-school jukebox and below the sign declaring it "Home of the original chili half-smoke." And it has become part of the tourist attraction. "Some are curious if they're from out of town — or from out of the country, more than out of town — and they don't know," Ali said. "They're like: 'What's the countdown?' What are we counting down?' And then of course those from the (area) are just proud and know and guests have been taking pictures." For Russia, pride in Ovechkin Billboards, signs and goal-counters around Moscow carry messages in Cyrillic that say things like "Go ahead, Alex!" or "Sasha, the Motherland is with you." His hometown team, Dynamo Moscow, has its own arena countdown going with the message in Russian, "Alex, keep pushing." "He started his career here, he played for Dynamo in 2012 during the (NHL) lockout, and he is still actively participating in the life of the club," Dynamo press secretary Nikita Bakhurov said. "We couldn't stay aside, and spectators see this banner during every match. Everyone is following this record." Ovechkin being in this spotlight has become a point of national pride. Ovechkin represented Russia at three Olympics, won gold at the world juniors, played in countless world championships and may still finish his career some day in the KHL. "He's a great hockey player indeed," Moscow resident Yulia Anisimova said. "Even I, who is not following hockey, know him well and have heard much about him. It's not his problem that it didn't work out for him here; the problem is in our country. If there had been different conditions, he would have represented our country." Moscow resident Sergei, who did not give his last name, said Ovechkin is "our star," adding: "I'm proud that he is Russian. I can't wait when he breaks this record." Ovechkin has one more year on his Capitals contract. He has played his entire NHL career for Washington, becoming the face of the franchise who made hockey popular in the area, delivered a championship and is now on the verge of history. "We're blessed to have him in D.C. and with the Caps," Ali said. "Another one of the things I'm proud of is he's been with the same team his entire career. ... It's his time, and we couldn't be prouder to be a part of it."