It seems pretty clear at this point that Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin is going to break Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record. A hat trick in the Capitals win over the Vegas Golden Knights put Ovechkin within 30 of the record, and is starting to answer a big question that was being asked entering the season.
Many wondered if the Ovechkin would be able to break the record this year while the Capitals weren’t expected to perform at a high level. Not only are the Capitals one of the top teams in the NHL, but Ovechkin is also on pace to crush Gretzky’s record.
Ovechkin’s goal-scoring has become must-see TV for hockey fans and even Hall of Famers are rooting cheering him on. In an interview with Responsible Gambler, newly minted Hockey Hall of Famer Jeremy Roenick believes Ovechkin can topple the record this season.
“The guy is the best goal-scorer I’ve ever seen,” Roenick said to rg.org. “He’s the best goal-scorer in history. And if anybody can do it, he’ll do it.”
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Roenick admitted it will be tough for Ovechkin to keep up his pace, but he continues to make it look easy.
“He’s done things that are just absolutely unmatched in terms of goal scoring.”
Roenick certainly knows a thing or two about goal-scoring since he picked up 513 over his 20-year NHL career. That’s good for fourth all-time among American-born players. He tacked on back-to-back 50-goal campaigns in the early 1990s with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Even at 39 years old, Ovechkin is still showing he has what it takes to score with the best of the best. He’s currently tied for the league lead in goals with 13 in just 17 games played.
With 11 goals in his last 10 games, Ovechkin is on a ridiculous pace that no one expected. Sure, it felt like a certainty that he would break Gretzky’s record eventually, but not many would have predicted this sort of pace from aged veteran.
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Roenick puts it best when he calls Ovechkin “a freak of nature.”
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The Washington Wizards are getting healthier as veteran point guard Malcolm Brogdon made his return after recovering from thumb surgery.
This only leaves Saddiq Bey as the lone person on the injury report, as he works towards improving from his torn ACL.
Bey, 25, tore his ACL in March, leaving his timetable for a return up in the air. But Brogdon shared with reporters that Bey is healing very quickly.
“We definitely built a bond, a strong rapport,” Brogdon said. “He’s working man. He’s actually progressing fast, so we’re gonna have to slow him down because he’s doing really well.”
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If an ACL tear takes 9-12 months to heal, that would likely mean the middle of December is the earliest possible return for him.
With four years of NBA experience under his belt, Bey could also be another veteran that the Wizards rely on.
“He’s competitive, he’s smart. I think he can be reserved, he can be quiet to a lot of people but me and him are very open. We talk a lot. He really knows the game and loves to hoop, so he’s going to help this team a lot when he comes back,” Brogdon said.
The Wizards could use Bey either as a valuable veteran on the court to help the younger players or as a trade piece. Bey signed a three-year contract with the Wizards back in the offseason, but if he generates some trade interest before the Feb. 6 deadline, Washington may look to see what offers he could fetch to help the future.
Either way, the Wizards will get some value out of Bey to help the team in the long run.
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Bey and the Wizards are back in action on Friday when they host the defending champion Boston Celtics in the NBA Cup.
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Not counting New Mexico, Washington State’s 2024 foes went 3-6 last weekend.
Portland State: Loss at Montana (FCS) 28-17
The Vikings gave Big Sky foe Montana a hefty push on the road but didn’t have enough to pull off an upset over the FCS’ #10 ranked Grizzlies. In game that featured an odd power outage, PSU managed to hold a lead well into the third quarter. Despite that and holding the ball for nearly 40 minutes, the Viks fell short thanks in large part to five turnovers. Now at 2-8 on the season, there isn’t much besides pride left to play for with one game to go.
Texas Tech: No Game
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The Red Raiders did not play in Week 12.
Washington: Win vs. UCLA 31-19
The Huskies clinched bowl eligibility Friday evening, taking down UCLA at home. UW made a quarterback change after Will Rogers threw a pair of interceptions and replaced him with freshman Demond Williams. Williams proceeded to complete seven of eight pass attempts, throw a touchdown and run for 31 yards down the stretch in Washington’s 12-point win. Jonah Coleman ran for 95 yards and a score while the defense forced two turnovers. The Huskies draw even at 4-4 in Big Ten play and have just one game left this regular season.
San Jose State: Loss vs. Boise State 42-21
The Spartans put #13 Boise State on upset alert early on, taking a 14-0 lead early in the second frame, but the Broncos rallied back in a big way. SJSU’s defense… as most have… struggled to contain Ashton Jeanty and surrendered over 450 total yards to Boise State offense. Walker Eget had a roller coaster of a night, throwing three touchdowns but turning the ball over just as many times. Both Nick Nash and Justin Loackhart went off with each hauling in at least nine balls and going for well over 100 yards receiving. It was all for naught, however, as the Spartans lost by three scores. San Jose State is now 6-4.
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Boise State: Win at San Jose State 42-21
#13 Boise State had to stage a bit of a comeback to get by San Jose State on Saturday night but by the end the Broncos walked out of California with a comfortable three-touchdown victory. Ashton Jeanty’s Heisman campaign rolled on as he ran for 159 more yards and three more scores. Maddux Madsen completed 22-of-30 passes for 286 yards and a score as well. Now at 9-1 overall and 6-0 in conference action, BSU is making a serious push for a College Football Playoff bid and seems well on its way to a postseason run.
Fresno State: No Game
The Bulldogs took the week off.
Hawaii: Loss at Utah State 55-10
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It was a forgettable night in Logan for the Rainbow Warriors. Brayden Schager threw three interceptions and no touchdowns while backup John-Keawe Sagapolutele tossed another two. Neither QB had a touchdown throw. Landon Sims finished as Hawaii’s leading rusher with just 28 yards and in total the team was flagged 12 times costing them 80 yards. It was arguably the ugliest loss of the Rainbow Warriors season so far and they dip to 4-7. With just one regular season game left Hawaii cannot clinch bowl eligibility.
San Diego State: Loss at UNLV 41-20
The Aztecs could not get much going against UNLV on Saturday. Danny O’Neil threw a pair of picks and the defense allowed over 500 yards. By halftime San Diego State was down 28-6 and it never really got better from there. Marquez Cooper did run for 97 yards but he was held out of the end zone and he was one of only two ball carriers to tote it for the Aztecs. The loss is now SDSU’s seventh of the season.
Utah State: Win vs. Hawaii 55-10
Utah State’s offense, which has struggled for much of the season, finally saw the explosion its been waiting for all year against Hawaii. The Aggies put up 580 total yards, 27 first downs, and seven touchdowns as they cruised by the Rainbow Warriors. Quarterback Spencer Petras threw for 255 yards and his backup, Bryson Barnes, only attempted two throws, both of which went for TDs. Rahsul Faison ran for season-best 191 yards and two scores as well. The USU defense picked off five passes and logged seven sacks to help them get their third victory of the season.
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New Mexico: Win vs. Washington State 38-35
In a bit of a stunner in Albuquerque, New Mexico outshot Washington State, winning by three in the final seconds as Devon Dampier ran in for a game-sealing touchdown. After falling behind 28-14 at halftime, Dampier and company began to stage a rally. He and Eli Sanders each notched rushing TDs to tie things up. Dampier would score his game-winner after WSU took the lead back late. Dampier totaled four touchdowns and over 300 yards on his own. The Lobos are now one win away from hitting bowl eligibility after starting their season 0-4.
Oregon State: Loss at Air Force 28-0
The Beavers season hit a new low on Saturday as they got blanked by Air Force. Ben Gulbranson was unable to play and neither Gevani McCoy nor Gabarri Johnson could muster anything up in his place. As a team Oregon State managed just 175 total yards and the defense was on the field entirely too long. The Falcons had possession for over 41 minutes and ran up 410 total yards. It is now five straight losses for the Beavs who will see Washington State this weekend.
Wyoming: Loss at Colorado State 24-10
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Whatever high Wyoming may have been riding after last week’s win over New Mexico was promptly squashed on Friday night in Fort Collins. The Cowboys fell by two touchdowns to the Rams in a sluggish effort. Kaden Anderson completed just 13-of-30 pass attempts as the offense picked up a mere nine first downs all night. The defense gave up a pair of first quarter TDs that ended up being the difference while allowing CSU’s offense to put up 446 total yards. If there were any positives to take away for Wyoming it was that they didn’t turn the ball over and they were only flagged four times. Still, the Pokes fall to 2-8 on the year.
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Denzel Washington Discusses US Politics Manipulation
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Denzel Washington shared a harsh truth about the current political climate in the United States.
In Gladiator II, Denzel portrays Macrinus, an enslaved man turned enslaver who craves political power and control.
In an interview with the Sunday Times, Denzel was asked about one specific line, “Empires fall, so do emperors,” and he provided a timely response that speaks to the current US political landscape given the 2024 presidential election.
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“You know, it’s so easy to stand outside America and say this and that,” Denzel said.
“Turn around, you know? Pick a country. Any one,” he said, referring to the George Herbert phrase that suggests, “People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.”
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“But listen,” Denzel continued. “It’s all politics. All promises unkept. And now with the information age the way it is — if anything — left, right, whatever had better learn how to use those tools to manipulate the people.”
“There was a great line in the first movie I did, Carbon Copy: ‘Power to the people? Yeah, they had it once — it was called the Stone Age.’”
“We’re all slaves to information now. We really are. We’re all slaves. So whatever you feel about the leaders, like this guy’s crazy or the other one is sane, you’d better realize you’re being manipulated by both sides. Period,” Denzel added. “Yeah. So go to the movies.”
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Denzel has a way with words on and off the screen — so if you have a favorite performance of his that you find yourself always quoting, share it in the comments!
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