Former Washington Capitals head coach Barry Trotz revealed why Alex Ovechkin‘s legacy goes beyond a Stanley Cup. Ovechkin faced a lot of pressure to deliver a Stanley Cup for Washington and struggled to get results at times.
Trotz was the head coach when the Capitals, led by Ovechkin, won the 2018 Stanley Cup. The former head coach reflected on that period and recalled his conversations with the ‘The Great 8.’
Before ultimately winning the Cup, Ovechkin often dealt with criticism. He came up short in the second round multiple times. Some of those defeats came against his rival Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Despite the criticism, Ovechkin eventually managed to lead the Capitals to glory. Washington eliminated Pittsburgh, who were coming off back-to-back Stanley Cup titles, on the way to the 2018 Stanley Cup final.
Ovechkin had all the pressure lifted off his shoulders when he finally achieved his goal. He no longer had to deal with his legacy being questioned because he had never won a Cup.
While winning a Cup was significant for Ovechkin, Trotz does not believe his legacy would have been any different if had never did.
Barry Trotz Reveals Why Alex Ovechkin’s Legacy Goes Beyond a Stanley Cup
Barry Trotz revealed that Alex Ovechkin’s legacy goes beyond a Stanley Cup because of his importance to the league.
“There’s so much pressure on Alex [Ovechkin] to win a Cup from everybody. [Hearing] ‘He can’t win, he can’t win,’ sometimes athletes get labelled as ‘They can’t win, they don’t have it.’ And he had it,” Trotz told the Ryan Ripken Show.
“I just said, ‘I haven’t won a Cup. I’m not going to be defined by winning a Cup. I’m going to be defined by hopefully a good coach and a good teacher, and a good person. And no matter what happens, Alex, you’re not going to be defined by winning a Cup.'”
He added: “Him and Sid, to me, saved the game after the lockout.”
Trotz Recalls Ovechkin Committing to Contributing in Other Areas
Trotz also recalled his conversations with Ovechkin about getting his captain to contribute in other areas. Ovechkin doing so would set a strong example for his teammates and demonstrate leading by example.
When the NHL’s all-time leading goalscorer made those changes, it served as a turning point for the Capitals.
“I said to Alex, ‘You always do your job, you always score in the playoffs. But, you’re going to have to do more. You’re going to have to block shots. And if you do, you’re going to have to do a few other things just so everybody understands you’re the guy to follow,'” Trotz told the Ryan Ripken Show.
“Once he did that, he did all the things that didn’t take talent. And we took off and we were unstoppable at that point.”
Alex Ovechkin’s Former Coach Reveals Why His Legacy Goes Beyond a Stanley Cup