Alex Ovechkin is just one more goal from hockey immortality. He scored career tallies No. 893 and 894 in the Washington Capitals’ 5-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday.
Everything Ovechkin was wearing from his jersey to his yellow-laced skates when he tied Wayne Gretzky for most NHL goals could wind up either in his planned museum in Moscow, Russia, Capital One Arena, the Hockey Hall of Fame or someone’s private collection.
So, the Capitals equipment staff and even the team’s chief of security will be working overtime to ensure the chain of custody for each item of Ovechkin memorability remains accounted for. Monumental Sports Network’s Tarik El-Bashir described during Friday’s pregame coverage how the staff will label and differentiate between items used in the lead up to and in the record-breaking moment.
“There’s a small army of Capitals employees, four equipment managers, two PR reps and the chief of security who have a very important job every night and that is when Alex Ovechkin scores a goal, they have to go get his jersey, his stick, the puck and they label everything,” El-Bashir explained. “So, for example, if Alex scores in the first period tonight, in-between periods he will take off his jersey and change jerseys, that jersey will then be autographed by the two teammates that assisted on that goal and that jersey will be retired, he will wear a new one.”
Fans might’ve noticed that during his first intermission interview with rink-side reporter Al Koken, Ovechkin wasn’t wearing his jersey. It seemed he had already begun that process which El-Bashir detailed, wearing a different sweater each period he plays until he passes Gretzky with his 895th goal. The process to ensure the authenticity of each item Ovechkin utilizes as he reaches the NHL goal-scoring mountain top is rather high-tech as well.
“On the night when he scores 895, the team is going to use these stickers right here, these are three dimensional, these are fraud proof,” El-Bashir continued, holding up a sheet of navy blue and red stickers with subtle raisings on them. “They actually say, ‘Authenticated by Brock Miles, head equipment manager of the Capitals.’ Brock will then put these stickers on every piece of equipment that they want to save, gloves, the helmet, skates, stick, even the puck, almost anything. So, these have little chips inside so there’s no chance of someone saying, ‘Hey, that was from that night,’ without this sticker on it.”
El-Bashir noted that there could “be a little bit of a fight” over determining which items go to which entity. That process either has yet to be decided or at least made public.
Ovechkin and the Capitals will travel to Belmont, New York on Sunday for a tilt with the New York Islanders. UBS Arena could be the scene of his record-breaking moment but the team’s “small army” of artifact custodians will be ready to handle things if it does, indeed, happen.
