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

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — 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 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 against Chicago."You're not stopping it," said veteran coach Paul Maurice of the Florida Panthers. "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. 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.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 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. Russian prideBillboards, 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."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. "Everyone is following this record."Ovechkin being in this spotlight has become a point of national pride. He represented Russia at three Olympics, won gold at the world juniors, played in countless world championships and may 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."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."