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SPORTS Tuesday 25 February 2025
Hat trick puts Alex Ovechkin 13 away from breaking Wayne

Gretzky’s NHL career goals record

By STEPHEN WHYNO but was denied. He got
AP Hockey Writer eight shots on Edmonton’s
WASHINGTON (AP) — Alex goaltender and had four
Ovechkin fired a perfect more attempts.
wrist shot past Calvin Pick- It took an empty net for
ard for his first goal of the the hats to fly from the
game, scored from his of- juiced-up crowd of 18,573
fice on the power play for fans who chanted “Ovi!
his second and sailed a Ovi!” throughout. Ovech-
shot into an empty net from kin conceded he was a
his own zone to complete little surprised Oilers coach
the hat trick. Kris Knoblauch pulled Pick-
“I have pretty good chanc- ard for an extra attacker
es to score more,” Ovech- while trailing by three, but it
kin said, “but I’ll take three.” turned out to be good for
Scoring three goals in the the Capitals when Ovech-
Washington Capitals’ 7-3 kin scored from 139 feet
rout of the Edmonton Oil- out. “They got an elite
ers on Sunday put Ovech- team with elite offensive
kin 13 away from break- players and 17,000 people
ing Wayne Gretzky’s NHL in the stands were hop-
career record of 894 that ing they pull the goalie,”
long seemed unapproach- Strome said.
able. Even after missing 16 Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) skates among hats thrown onto the ice after he “We’ll take it. Obviously
games earlier this season scored an empty-net goal for a hat trick during the third period of an NHL hockey game against he’ll take it, and it was a
because of a broken leg, the Edmonton Oilers, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, in Washington. lucky, fortunate bounce.
the 39-year-old is on pace Associated Press But I guess when you have
to pass Gretzky this spring. 13 in Washington’s final “Some guys score and they Perry lamented the Oilers 882 goals, you get those
“He amazes me night in, 25 games was doable, (think), ‘OK, I had a good letting Ovechkin get open bounces.”
night out,” Capitals goal- Ovechkin said he’s taking it night.’ He comes back to enough to do damage. Ovechkin tied Jaromir
tender Charlie Lindgren “game by game.” the bench, he’s asking if he “You give the best goal Jagr’s record with 135
said. “He truly is the best.” If there are more games like can go out again like right scorer in the world that kind game-winning goals, and
Linemate Dylan Strome, the one against the Oilers, away. of time, he’s going to put the 32nd hat trick of his 20-
who has assisted on 16 of it’s a matter of when, not if, It’s pretty fun, and it’s been it in the back of the net,” year NHL career moved
Ovechkin’s 29 goals this Ovechkin reaches 895 and an amazing journey watch- Perry said. him into a tie for fifth on
season, acknowledged beyond. ing him do what he can After scoring 10 minutes that list with Hall of Famer
“it’s going to be tough still” “I’ve never seen a guy so do.” apart in the second period, Phil Esposito. His next will
to set the record in March hungry,” longtime team- Watching from the other Ovechkin almost beat Pick- be No. 30, reaching that
or April. Asked if scoring mate Tom Wilson said. side, grizzled veteran Corey ard a third time in the third mark for an 18th season.q

Shaun White’s new snowboard league to head to Aspen and

mountain in China where he ended his career

By EDDIE PELLS White’s final run came at 16-man contest, along will be added to The Snow At the Beijing Olympics, Ei-
AP National Writer Secret Garden, where the with his younger brother, League starting with the leen Gu won medals in all
After opening in Aspen, three-time gold medalist Kaishu. event in China, though three freeskiing disciplines
Colorado, next week, finished fourth to cap off Also invited is second- no names have yet been gold in halfpipe and Big Air
Shaun White’s new half- his fifth Olympics on an ranked Ruka Hirano, who publicized for those con- and silver in slopestyle.q
pipe league will travel to emotional day on the half- is not related to the broth- tests.
the mountain in China pipe. ers, along with Americans
where he closed out his After retiring, he set out Chase Josey and Chase
career at the 2022 Beijing to create a league that Blackwell.
Olympics. would bring together the The women’s contest
The Snow League an- world’s top riders, whose is scheduled to include
nounced the remainder sport has long lacked a Olympic silver and bronze
of its four-stop, opening- well-defined circuit and medalists Queralt Castel-
season schedule Monday, has also struggled to offer let and Sena Tomita along
which includes a trip in De- top prize money at many with Americans Maddie
cember to the Secret Gar- of its marquee events. Mastro and Maddy Schaf-
den snowpark in Zhangji- The Snow League is offer- frick.
akou, China, followed by ing a $1.6 million prize pool, In a unique twist, the finals
a return to Aspen in Febru- with $370,000 for each of the league’s events will
ary 2026, then the season event and $160,000 to the be head-to-head, best-
finale in Laax, Switzerland, league’s champions after of-3 bracket-style tourna-
after next year’s Milan- all four events. ments in which riders will
Cortina Olympics. Defending Olympic cham- have to drop in from both Gold medal winner Japan’s Ayumu Hirano, left, is congratulated
by United States’ Shaun White after the men’s halfpipe finals at
The opener is set for March pion and top-ranked sides of the halfpipe on the 2022 Winter Olympics, Feb. 11, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China.
7-8 at Buttermilk outside of Ayumu Hirano is invited to their first two runs. Associated Press
Aspen. compete in next week’s Freeskiing on the halfpipe