Montreal Gazette: The greatest goal scorer on the planet misses a chance at hockey history

Washington Capitals Alex Ovechkin,on Friday October 29th, 2010 at the Saddledome in Calgary Alberta. Photograph by: Dean Bicknell, Calgary Herald



By Randy Boswell, Oct. 31, 2010, Montreal Gazette, "Ovechkin misses chance at hockey history":

Unfathomably, after scoring twice in 12 seconds against the Calgary Flames on Saturday, Washington Capitals superstar Alexander Ovechkin skated to his team’s bench and sat down, robbing hockey fans — particularly fans of hockey history — of nine seconds of drama, exhilaration and suspense.

Within Ovechkin’s grasp, or at least within the realm of possibility, was the breaking of the Unbreakable Record.

For the first time in years, an NHL player had a serious chance to re-set what many students of hockey lore would consider the most secure benchmark in the sport: Bill Mosienko’s 21-second hat trick.

Mosienko’s record has proven bulletproof for nearly 60 years. The closest anyone has ever come to equalling the feat was Jean Beliveau, who bagged a 44-second hat trick with the Montreal Canadiens in 1955.


Then, on Saturday night in Calgary, Ovechkin scored at 3:43 and 3:55 of the second period to put himself in a position that only a handful of NHL players have been in over the past 58 years: within striking distance of Mosienko’s 21-second trick.

But this was not just any NHL player with a shot at the impossible.

This was Alex Ovechkin, the Russian dynamo, arguably the greatest goal scorer on the planet today, a winner of the NHL’s Art Ross (most points) and Rocket Richard (most goals) trophies — and already the holder of several league and Capitals’ scoring records.

This was the guy who had just blasted twin rockets past Flames netminder Miikka Kiprusoff, one of the best goalies in the game, in one-fifth of a minute.

This was also a guy who shares the NHL record for the fastest goal — six seconds — after the centre-ice puck drop to start an overtime period.

Ovechkin had nine seconds left Saturday to match Mosienko’s immaculate hat trick; he had eight seconds or less to beat it.

The Flames were dejected and in disarray after blowing a 2-1 lead in a few flashes of Ovechkin’s stick; they were destined to give up four more goals in the nightmarish second period that was unfolding.

But rather than stay on the ice and — just maybe — make some of the most unexpected hockey history imaginable, Ovechkin finished celebrating goal No. 2 and took his place on the Capitals’ bench.

Tick, tick, tick. Tick, tick, tick. Tick, tick, tick.

A potential moment for the ages slipped away. The unerasable record remained unerased. A would-be witness to history began writing this lament.

And somewhere, perhaps from his luxury box on Cloud 9 in hockey heaven, Bill Mosienko looked down and breathed a mighty sigh of relief.

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I still think Bruce Boudreau did the right thing to bench the first line at the end of the game. It just shows that personal records are no longer a top priority for Caps and Alex Ovechkin. Their goal is La Coupe Stanley.



Game tying and game winning goals 12 seconds apart by Ovi

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