Sorokin & Ovechkin Discuss Their Moment; Roy & Cizikas Reflect

ELMONT, N.Y. — The New York Islanders beat the Washington Capitals 4-1 on Sunday afternoon. Marc Gatcomb had his first career multi-goal game, yet nobody wanted to talk about themselves postgame.

That’s expected when a historical event takes place. Today, that was Alexander Ovechkin breaking the NHL’s all-time goalscoring record, set by Wayne Gretzky in 1999. His blistering power play wrister from the top of the left circle, his office, beat Ilya Sorokin’s short-side.

Postgame, Sorokin joked he didn’t expect the shot. After his joke, Sorokin did admit he expected the shot to go far side, where Ovechkin normally puts it. Instead, he shot it short-side and straight into the history books.

Sorokin and Ovechkin:

After the on-ice ceremony, Ovechkin skated up to Sorokin and said something to him. Postgame, Sorokin said Ovechkin asked for his stick. Sorokin happily obliged the request. Asked if he was getting anything in return, Sorokin laughed and said “Respect.”

I asked Ovechkin about the moments with Sorokin and how selfless Sorokin handled it all, and Ovechkin praised Sorokin. Said Ovechkin, “Just before the game, me and [Dylan] Strome talked about how I never scored against him. And I think we played only two or three games, but it’s kind of a historical moment. A Russian scored against a Russian and set the record. So it’s pretty cool.”

As for how he feels about Sorokin himself, Ovechkin showered praise: “He’s such a great kid and my kids love him. So now, like I said, it’s tremendous moment. It’s tremendous and a tremendous day for hockey and that’s good.”

For Sorokin, a Russian, allowing that goal but also winning the game makes it a total win-win.

Roy & Cizikas Discuss Their View:

Patrick Roy is no stranger to big moments. The Islanders’ head coach once chased down and overtook Terry Sawchuk’s all-time wins record. Today, Roy emphasized how important the moment was for hockey.

On the ice, Roy and Ovechkin exchanged a hug. Postgame, Roy said he cracked a joke to Ovechkin, saying he could take the night off so the Islanders could go on and win the game.

As for Casey Cizikas, he took the penalty that directly led to Ovechkin’s historic tally. Cizikas said he wasn’t thrilled with the call but he hoped the penalty kill would get the job done.

Then, Ovechkin scored. For Cizikas, the frustration melted away, especially after the Islanders won. The moment itself is special. Cizikas talked about that, saying “It was definitely cool to be a part of history and get to witness that.”

Then, I asked him about the experience of going up against Sidney Crosby and Ovechkin throughout his career, with multiple playoff series’ against both.

Cizikas gave a great reflective answer: “They’re two of the greatest of all time. There’s been a lot of battles. There’s been heartbreaks and there’s been triumphs. But they’ve accomplished so much in their careers. They’re first-ballot Hall of Famers. To have a chance to play against them and witness that and see what it takes game in and game out to compete against them. It’s been a lot of fun and something that I’m going to remember for the rest of my life.”