Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin always were considered the top two players entering the 2004 NHL Draft in Raleigh, N.C.
What appeared to be a difficult decision on paper wasn't so much for the Washington Capitals front office. Ovechkin was the player they targeted all along, and they never wavered in their decision to make him the No. 1 pick.
The leading advocate to select Ovechkin at the time was Capitals director of amateur scouting Ross Mahoney. He has proven prophetic; not only has Ovechkin scored more points than any player selected in the 2004 draft, but on Sunday against the Ottawa Senators, he became the fifth-fastest player in NHL history and first Russian-born to score 500 goals, doing so in his 801st game.