LAS VEGAS -- Alex Ovechkin's "Gr8 Chase" is over.
And as Ovechkin gave a head-first Pete Rose-like dive across the ice immediately after career goal 895 went into the net on Long Island, I couldn't help but think about the nine times he's played inside T-Mobile Arena.
Certainly not as many visits as he's made to Madison Square Garden or the Bell Centre, but they've been memorable.
Who knew the Golden Knights' inaugural season in the league would be a historic one for Ovechkin? It was June 7, when the Capitals, established in 1974, would win their first Stanley Cup after defeating Knights in five games.
This season, he registered one of his two hat tricks of the campaign on Nov. 17, back at T-Mobile Arena.
"It's gonna stay forever," Ovechkin said after scoring goals 864, 865 and 866. "Memories that happen here, (like) back in (2018) - it's great."
Ovechkin also said, as many other players have during Vegas' first eight seasons in the league, the aura inside T-Mobile fueled what he already does best - figuratively, and now, literally - and that's score.
"It was (a) pretty cool atmosphere, like always," he said.
Here is a look at all 18 games Ovechkin has played against the Golden Knights:
Dec. 23, 2017, at Vegas - The Golden Knights continue their impressive debut in the league by improving to 23-9-2 with a 3-0 win over the Capitals. Ovechkin's lone contributions to the stat sheet were two shots and an interference call in the second period. He also finished -1 on the charts.
Feb. 4, 2018, at Washington - Vegas visited D.C. for the first time, and in front of 18,506 pulled out a come-from-behind win, overcoming three one-goal deficits. Again, Ovechkin is held without a goal, and this time had just one shot.
May 28, 2018, at Vegas - It's Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, both teams appearing in the final round for the first time - the Caps after 43 seasons, the Golden Knights after 1. Vegas draws first blood with a 6-4 win, and for a third-straight game, Ovechkin doesn't score despite throwing two shots on target. He does, however, get an assist on a third-period goal by Tom Wilson.
May 30, 2018, at Vegas - Finally, Ovechkin beats an old nemesis in Marc-Andre Fleury with a second-period power-play goal that gave the Capitals a 2-1 lead at the time. The Caps would go on to win the game, 3-2, as the series shifts to D.C. for Games 3 and 4.
June 2, 2018, at Washington - Ovechkin starts the scoring for Game 3, as he gives the Capitals a 1-0 lead just 1:10 into the second period. He'd finish the game with five shots, as he leads the charge to keep the pressure applied to Fleury and upstart Knights.
June 4, 2018, at Washington - Ovechkin wouldn't score in this one, but his mere presence kept the Knights on alert, as he did fire four shots on goal. He'd register one assist as the Caps dominated Game 4 to take a 3-1 series lead back to Sin City.
June 7, 2018, at Vegas - With the mere thought of tasting champagne overflowing from the Cup, Ovechkin got in on the scoring in Game 5, contributing to a 4-3 win with a second-period, power-play goal that put the Capitals ahead 2-1 at the time. Later in the period, he'd be called for tripping, which led to a Reilly Smith power-play that put the Knights ahead, 3-2. The Caps would score two third-period goals and Ovechkin's first hoist of Lord Stanley's Cup would be in Las Vegas, Nevada. Shortly afterward, he'd be honored with the Conn Smythe trophy. But in true Ovechkin fashion, he didn't hesitate to give credit elsewhere.
"He was unbelievable," Ovechkin said of Evgeni Kuznetsov, who finished the series with one goal and seven assists. "He makes the magic over there."
Oct. 10, 2018, at Washington - In their first meeting after the Cup final, the Caps dominated the Knights in a 5-2 win, during which Ovechkin scored twice - with both goals assisted by Kuznetsov.
Dec. 4, 2018, at Vegas - The return engagement would see the Knights get revenge, winning 5-3 behind two Nate Schmidt goals in the final 1:25 of the game. Ovechkin score his 20th of that season in the second period.
Nov. 9, 2019, at Washington - Again, the Capitals won the first meeting of the regular season, taking a 5-2 decision in a game Ovechkin was relatively quiet despite six shots on goal.
Feb. 17, 2020, at Vegas - Less than one month before the country was shutdown due to COVID-19, the Knights would even the season series with a 3-2 victory on home ice. And again, Ovechkin was held without a goal.
Jan. 24, 2022, at Washington - In their first meeting nearly two years after the pandemic crippled the world, the teams would meet in the nation's capital, and it would be the Knights in a tight affair, winning 1-0 behind his 20th career goal. For context, at that point, Ovechkin was in search of his 760th.
April 20, 2022, at Vegas - The teams would head into overtime for this one, after Ovechkin scored twice in regulation, including the equalizer with 6:24 left in the game. The Knights would win on Shea Theodore's goal 2:09 into overtime, but Ovi left Vegas with goals 779 and 780.
Nov. 1, 2022, at Washington - It would be the only game Ovechkin would play in against the Knights during Vegas' championship season, and his current teammate, Logan Thompson, would stop the lone shot he had against him during a 3-2 win. Ovi would miss the Jan. 21, 2023 meeting in Vegas.
Nov. 14, 2023, at Washington - Ovechkin got three shots on goal, against Thompson, but none would find the back of the net during the Capitals' 3-0 win on home ice. The win was rather significant, considering it was during Vegas' hot start - it dropped to 12-3-1 at the time - and also came on the same trip the Knights would visit the White House to celebrate their Stanley Cup win five months earlier.
Dec. 2, 2023, at Vegas - The Knights would get revenge for the shutout loss less than three weeks prior with a 4-1 victory. Ovechkin would get just one shot off in the game.
Oct. 15, 2024, at Washington - The Capitals were hosting Vegas in just their second game of the season, and got their first win after a 5-3 season-opening home loss to the New Jersey Devils. Though Ovechkin wouldn't score in that game, he did assist on two, including the game-winning helper to Aliaksei Protas in the second period.
Nov. 17, 2024, at Vegas - Ovechkin's 32nd career hat trick would take place on the same ice in which he won the Stanley Cup and was named the Conn Smythe winner six years earlier. Ovechkin opened the scoring in the first with a power-play goal, and scored the Caps' final two goals late in the second and an empty-netter with 37 seconds left. And, again, Ovechkin shared the praise with his teammates.
"I think we play hard," Ovechkin said. "LT (Thompson did) an unbelievable job. Everybody blocking the shots, everybody sacrificed their bodies."
Just .008 of his 895 career regular-season goals came against Vegas, but those eight potters - 610, 611, 627, 779, 780, 864, 865 and 866 - are now part of history, a record that once again seems insurmountable.
