ANALYSIS/OPINION:
Barry Trotz sounded the alarm for Alex Ovechkin two years ago following the Washington Capitals exit from the Stanley Cup playoffs by the familiar hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“Your shelf life in the National Hockey League, if you’re a top player, is 10,12 years,” the Capitals coach said. “And so, when you don’t go that far, the window sort of seems like it closes, and if you haven’t gotten past that, it gets frustrating. It does.
“There’s no question — the sense of mortality sets in.”
If you are looking for reasons why this Ovechkin team has been the one to break through finally, getting beyond the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs and now, coming off their Game 7 win over Tampa Wednesday night, their first Stanley Cup Final appearance in the Ovechkin era, look no further than the great 8’s gray hair.