From Jan. 17 -- I realize this is dated (it is from my former blog), but with Ovechkin's amazing season coming to an end, I thought I'd post it anyway...

It would seem to be hyperbole to say Alexander Ovechkin's performance in Anaheim Friday night is the greatest single game showing by a rookie in NHL history.

On the other hand, it is hard to remember, or imagine, a better performance than the one Ovechkin turned in during a 3-2 overtime win against the Mighty Ducks.

Alexander the Great was a one-man show, tallying all three Washington goals en route to his first NHL hat trick. And in the process, he won over more than a few fans in Southern California.

When Ovechkin scored the game winning goal in overtime, the Pond crowd responded with polite applause and a few hats floating down to the ice, despite the presence of less than 100 Capitals fans. The mood after the game felt like a home team win, as everyone in the arena realized they had just witnessed history.

From the opening faceoff, there was an air of anticipation among the 16,186 at the Pond, easily the largest non-opening night crowd of the season if one does not count games bolstered by thousands of visiting fans. When the puck dropped, all eyes were on Ovechkin, particularly those of Anaheim defenseman Scott Niedermayer.

During his years in New Jersey, Niedermayer had gained a reputation as one of the game's best defenseman and defensive stoppers, and he demonstrated why in the first period. Niedermayer was on the ice for virtually every second of Ovechkin's shifts, and he won the first several individual battles. Ovechkin was unable to find room to get around the crafty Niedermayer, and his only shot on goal was turned aside relatively easily by goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere.

The second period, however, was a completely different story. Washington coach Glen Hanlon played with the lines, even sending Ovechkin out part way through several shifts as he implemented a basketball-style substitution method to try to avoid the Ovechkin/Niedermayer matchup.

Just 1:45 into the period, Ovechkin took advantage of one of the few times Niedermayer was not shadowing him. Ovechkin took a pass from Chris Clark near center ice, outskated Anaheim blueliners Keith Carney and Francois Beauchemin, and found himself on a breakaway. After showing forehand, Ovechkin shifted to his backhand near the crease, and buried the puck to give Washington a 1-0 lead.

Anaheim tied the game a little over two minutes later on a beautiful shot by Joffrey Lupul. Skating down the left wing, Lupul went high to Washington goaltender Brent Johnson's glove side, ringing the puck off the crossbar before it fell into the net.

The goal only seemed to further awaken Ovechkin, however. Midway through the second period, the Ducks were again caught without Niedermayer shadowing Ovechkin, and the rookie made them pay.

Ovechkin got the puck to the right of the slot and put several nifty moves on solid Anaheim defenseman Ruslan Salei. It appeared he had skated too far to the left side of the net, but Ovechkin pulled a spin-o-rama, then fired the puck past Giguere for a highlight reel goal.

Ovechkin's balance after the goal was not as good, as he lost his balance and fell into the boards to Giguere's right. He loves scoring goals, however, and that enthusiasm showed once again. Sprawled on the ice, Ovechkin flapped his arms and legs in a celebration that resembled Shamu's post-performance salute to the crowd at nearby Sea World -- without the splashing of the first ten rows, of course.

As if the offense was not enough, Ovechkin laid a monster hit on Anaheim defenseman Vitaly Vishnevski late in the period. Vishnevski is known for his big hits, and he posses great balance -- one can count on the fingers of one hand how many times he has been knocked down this season.

Vishnevski seemed to have Ovechkin lined up at the blueline, but the rookie did not have his head down. Instead, Ovechkin tried to go over -- or through -- Vishnevski, laying a monster hit that sent Vishnevski's helmet flying and thousands of oohs and aahs down from the crowd.

After Travis Moen tied the game in the third period with a shot from the right faceoff circle that beat Johnson to the short side, the stage was set for Ovechkin. Just seconds after Washington defenseman Steve Eminger left the ice with a nasty looking ankle injury, Ovechkin found himself one-on-one on the left wing with Beauchemin.

A collective groan was heard from the Ducks crowd when Ovechkin touched the puck, as everyone knew what was coming next. Unsure of what to do, Beauchemin dropped back a few feet from the Caps' star, then watched as Ovechkin put the puck through the five-hole -- on both Beauchemin and Giguere.

As the hats hit the ice, Ovechkin leaped against the boards with the power of a thunderous bodycheck, nearly sending a pane of glass, and himself, into the crowd in the process. However, the glass held in place better than another pane had in the third period, as the pane broke in half and sent a giant piece of glass into the crowd.

Following the game, Ovechkin had 30 goals in 42 games, and he followed the performance up with a spectacular two-goal effort three nights later in Phoenix. He has become the clear contender to win the Calder Trophy, and at the current pace, the Hart Trophy might not be out of the question.

If the fans in Anaheim had a vote, he would be a shoo-in. The Ducks came away with just one point, but the fans realized they had witnessed history.