In one of the classier moves we’ve seen out of an owner’s box this year, the Capitals have announced that they have arranged for their team broadcasters, Joe Beninati and Alan May, to call the nationally televised games for the Caps as Alexander Ovechkin continues his march towards breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal scoring record.
With Ovechkin approaching the record, several of the Capitals’ upcoming games have been designated for national broadcasts, in accordance with the league’s telecast agreements. TNT and ABC each have one of the final four games of the regular season, while ESPN/ESPN+ has two. And, as always, those networks have their own broadcast teams who call those games.
But as part of a special arrangement orchestrated by the Capitals, their home broadcasters will also be at each of those games recording their own telecasts. Those telecasts won’t air live, but will rather be released the next day. Which means that if/when Ovechkin breaks the record, there will be a recording of the home announcers covering the accomplishment.
Call us sentimental, but we absolutely love this story. Joe Beninati has been the voice of the Capitals for 28 years (Alan May is currently substituting in for Craig Laughlin, who is on medical leave). The idea of a long-time team broadcaster not being able to participate in such a historic sports event would, in a word … suck. For Monumental Sports, parent of the Capitals, and the Leonsis ownership group, to make sure to accommodate for this once-in-a-lifetime event, is just plain classy. It’s great for Beninati, who deserves the opportunity, but it’s also great for the fans to be able to hear the game called by the home crew (even if it’s after the fact).
Kudos to the Leonsis family for doing the right thing. Plenty of owners wouldn’t have lifted a finger to get involved, and would have just let the networks have it. Maybe the networks will do the right thing and just let these guys call the actual games themselves.
And having said that, it’s on to the Gr8 Chase! With 17 games left in the regular season, Ovechkin is a mere eight goals away from tying the record, and nine from breaking it. He has played in 49 games this year (having missed six weeks due to injury), and has scored 33 goals. That’s .67 goals per game. Based on the averages, it would take him 13-14 games to break the record. So, barring injury or a poorly-timed slump, there’s a very good chance that it happens before the season wraps.
Of course the averages are one thing, but possibilities are something different. Ovechkin has had five multiple-goal games this season, including two hat-tricks. If you throw a multiple goal game or two into the mix, those projections change quickly and the record could fall far earlier than projected.
Regardless, if you’re a Capitals fan, or just a hockey fan who wants to see history made, pay close attention to the Capitals’ upcoming schedule, and watch those box scores!
