Ovechkin’s 1,500th NHL game with Capitals ‘testament to how bad he wants it’

WASHINGTON — Alex Ovechkin will hit another big number that puts him in elite NHL company when the Washington Capitals host the Ottawa Senators at Capital One Arena on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; MNMT, NHLN, SN360).

While Ovechkin continues his quest to become the first NHL player to reach 900 goals — he remains one away after scoring his 899th in a 5-1 win at the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday — he will play in his 1,500th NHL game, all with the Capitals, against the Senators.

The 40-year-old left wing, who passed Wayne Gretzky (894) to become the NHL’s all-time leader in goals last season, will be the eighth player in League history to achieve the milestone with one franchise.

“Yeah, it’s pretty cool,” Ovechkin said. “Pretty special moment, obviously, for me and for my family. Lucky enough to be able to play so many games and for one team, it’s pretty cool.”

Ovechkin will join Gordie Howe (1,687 games with the Detroit Red Wings), Patrick Marleau (1,607 with the San Jose Sharks), Nicklas Lidstrom (1,564 games with Detroit), Alex Delvecchio (1,550 games with Detroit), Shane Doan (1,540 with the Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix and Arizona Coyotes), Ray Bourque (1,518 with the Boston Bruins) and Steve Yzerman (1,514 with Detroit) as the only players to reach 1,500 games with one franchise.

Ovechkin, who was selected with the No. 1 pick in the 2004 NHL Draft, takes pride in having played them all with the Capitals. He and pitcher Walter Johnson, who played for Major League Baseball’s Washington Senators from 1907-27, are the only athletes to play 21 seasons for a Washington sports team.

“It is special,” Ovechkin said. “Obviously, when you came into the League you want to play as [many] games as you can, but 1,500, it’s a pretty big number.”

In the final season of a five-year, $47.5 million contract, Ovechkin doesn’t know yet whether this will be his final NHL season, so it’s unknown how far beyond 1,500 he will go. He has said he will see how this season plays out before making that decision.

In the meantime, he continues to play with the same energy and joy that have been staples of his game since he scored two goals in his NHL debut against the Blue Jackets on Oct. 5, 2005.

“He’s able to every day wake up and he brings a love, enthusiasm and passion for the game and his teammates and coming to the rink and being in the locker room,” Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said. “So, I think mentally he’s been able to just do that every single day for whatever it is, 20 straight years, and that hasn’t changed. He hasn’t had dark days or, ‘Ah, you know, maybe I don’t feel like doing it.’

“He’s as passionate about the game and loves the game as much as he did probably when he broke into the League.”

For that reason, even opponents hope Ovechkin will continue to play beyond this season.

“If he’s healthy and he has so much fun every day in the rink and in the games and fun with his team, he can play more,” Minnesota Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov said. “It’s up to him. It’s a better question for him, but we’d like to have him for a long time.”