Islanders goalies Ilya Sorokin, Semyon Varlamov express admiration for Capitals' Alexander Ovechkin
Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin reacts after Dylan Strome scored a goal against the Devils during the first period of an NHL game on, Oct. 25 in Newark, N.J. Credit: AP/Adam Hunger
WASHINGTON — Ilya Sorokin broke into a wide smile remembering his time with the Russian national team preparing for the World Championships along with fellow goalie Igor Shesterkin and Alex Ovechkin, who may end his career with the most goals in NHL history.
“I remember one story,” the Islanders netminder told Newsday. “When I was with Shesterkin on the national team and Igor was not playing, Alex said, ‘OK, let’s go to the net, I’ll shoot on you from my office [the left circle]. [Evgeny] Kuznetsov came to Igor and said, ‘Don’t worry, he doesn’t shoot high during practice.
“The first shot was here,” Sorokin said, laughing as he held his right hand near his head. “[Shesterkin’s] face was so nervous.”
It was Sorokin’s countryman Semyon Varlamov who started for the Islanders against Ovechkin’s Capitals on Thursday night at Capital One Arena. But both goalies spoke with reverence of Ovechkin, both as a teammate and opponent.
“I was young when I played with him and it was just so much fun being around him,” said Varlamov, selected 23rd overall by the Capitals in 2006. “We had an unbelievable time my three years playing for Washington. I played with a lot of great players, including, [Viktor] Kozlov, [Alexander] Semin, [Sergei] Federov and Ovi. You’re coming in, the first year in the league and it’s like a dream come true, all these legendary players playing on the same team.
“I just tried to enjoy every day because I knew it wasn’t going to last forever. Ovi is just a good man. I was young and he helped me a lot to get to know the team and the organization.”
The 38-year-old Ovechkin entered Thursday with 824 goals, 70 shy of matching Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record.
He has yet to score a goal against Sorokin in two NHL games while he had seven goals in his first 18 games against Varlamov.
“He’s a legend,” Sorokin said. “I think he’s one of the best players in all of NHL history He’s a great human and a really great hockey player.”
Sorokin did admit he was nervous at first around Ovechkin.
“Oh, sure, sure,” Sorokin said. “I was nervous when I’d see him at the rink. I was always nervous because he’s a legend. But he’s a really simple guy and it’s easy to talk to him.”
During the All-Star weekend in Sunrise, Florida in February, Ovechkin called Sorokin the best babysitter for his son, Sergei, though he also jokingly blamed the Metropolitan Division’s quick elimination from the three-on-three tournament on Sorokin and Shesterkin’s play.
In what is not a laughing matter for Ovechkin and the Capitals, they will be playing for the foreseeable future without Nicklas Backstrom, Ovechkin’s longtime center who announced jointly with the team on Wednesday he was stepping away from hockey for health reasons.
Backstrom underwent resurfacing surgery on his left hip in June, 2022 and had just one assist in eight games this season while having his ice time curtailed.
“They played together pretty much their entire career,” Varlamov said. “Nick is a part of Ovi’s success. He is a great playmaker, everybody knows that. He’s a big part of the team when they won the Cup in 2018. We’ve all seen how many passes Nick made to Ovi’s one-timer. I’m sure the team is going to miss him on the ice.”
Islanders coach Lane Lambert spent four seasons behind the Capitals’ bench as part of Barry Trotz’s staff, including winning the Cup in 2018.
“I guess maybe somewhat underrated,” Lambert said of Backstrom. “But, certainly, one of the smartest players I’ve coached.”
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
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