"It's a crazy story": Legendary NHL HC reveals being starstruck by Alex Ovechkin while first coaching the Capitals captain

By Ankit Kumar

Modified Dec 01, 2024 18:31 GMT

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Bruce Boudreau, the former coach of the Washington Capitals, recently shared a funny story about his first time coaching Alex Ovechkin. Boudreau, who started coaching the Capitals in 2007, recalled the moment he walked into the locker room to meet the team. It was the season Ovechkin scored 65 goals and Boudreau couldn’t believe he was coaching a superstar.

Ryan Whitney asked Boudreau about the first time he talked to his players.

"Well, you know what, when I got the call, it's a crazy story in the first place, but I get the call and I'm in the room at 11 — 11 was practice, so now it's 10:45 in the morning, and I actually got lost going from Hershey to Washington," Boudreau said (1:32:12) on Tuesday, via 'Biz got JUMPED.' "I forgot where the hell I was, you know, so many things are going on in your head.

"But then George says, 'I want you to talk to the players.' So I went in there and I'm talking to them as if, you know, it's the American League guys. I mean, we had a lot of guys that played in Hershey. I had all of them, but then I came to Ovi's seat and you look over and you see his name and I said, 'Holy s***, I'm coaching Ovechkin now,' and I lost all train of thought."

Boudreau was so surprised to see Ovechkin that he forgot what to say to the team.

"I had no idea what I was going to say after that," Boudreau said. "As soon as I saw that, I said, 'Okay, be on the ice in 10 minutes,' because I couldn't, I didn't have another word. I didn't know what else to say when I saw his name, that I was coaching him. I couldn't believe it."

Alex Ovechkin has scored 868 goals in his career, and he is nearing Wayne Gretzky's 894-goal record. This season, he has scored 15 goals in 18 games and was marching strongly for the top scorer spot. Unfortunately, he was placed on IR due to a lower leg injury and will be out for 4-6 weeks.

Bruce Boudreau praised Alex Ovechkin’s shot accuracy

Bruce Boudreau also praised Alex Ovechkin’s shot, saying it wasn’t just the speed, but his accuracy that stood out. He noted that Ovechkin knew exactly where the puck was going, often putting it in the top corners of the net.

"I mean, when he's shooting, like I mean, people think, 'Oh, it's just the speed of the shot,' but if you ever watched the All-Star games when he was in the hardest shot competition, his shots not that hard," Boudreau said (1:33:56). "Like, I mean, it's hard, but it's not that hard.

"He'd be able to put it through the defenseman's legs or put it through the stick, and he knew where it was going. Yeah, you very rarely. I mean, to me, remember him hitting the goalie in the chest? It was always top corner, far corner or one of these things. He's very accurate with his shots."

Boudreau coached Alex Ovechkin through some of his best seasons, including three straight years of over 100 points. His respect for Ovechkin’s talent remains clear as he reflected on those early days with the Capitals.