Uploaded August 2022 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
January 16, 2006 - It was a game where not much was expected. A 4 p.m. start on a Monday between two of the league's worst teams. Many in the D.C. area wouldn't have been crazy to not tune in. What unfolded didn't seem special at first either. A Coyotes' own goal credited to Ovechkin kicked off the scoring before a late powerplay goal sent the teams into the dressing room tied at 1. The Capitals took over in the second period, ending it with a 5-1 lead. At most, it felt like the Caps were on the way to their biggest blowout win of the season. Little did anyone know what was yet to come. With under 9 minutes left in the game, a rookie Ovechkin took making something out of nothing to a whole new level. Picking up a loose puck, he charged down on the right flank. Like he so often did in his younger days, he tried to deke around Coyotes defenseman Paul Mara. Mara played Ovechkin near perfectly, blocking the puck with his skate and knocking down the Caps' young superstar onto his back. Then, well, you all know the story by now. Falling on his back, facing away from the net, on his backhand, with one hand on the stick, Ovechkin still managed to put the puck in the net. To add to this legendary moment even further, two notable witnesses were in the building that day. First was none other than Wayne Gretzky, who was coaching the Coyotes at the time. Even the Great One was shown on replays in awe of the goal. The second was not on any replays, but up in the stands. An 8-year-old Auston Matthews was also at the game, as he recalled in a 2022 interview (youtu.be/nRsJGoya39U?t=55). Capitals play-by-play announcer Joe Beninati immediately declared it the goal of the year and over 16 years later, it's hard to argue that there has ever been a better goal scored in NHL history.
- Period 1 -
0:00 - Puck drop
0:52 - Defensive play on Nagy and shot
1:13 - Goal #1 - Coyotes own goal, originally credited to Dainius Zubrus
- Period 2 -
2:22 - Assist on Zubrus goal
3:35 - Foreshadowing
- Period 3 -
3:46 - Ovechkin credited with Coyotes own goal
5:32 - Goal #2 - "The Goal"
8:06 - Final buzzer
More classic Ovechkin games - youtube.com/playlist?list=PLH8bFa0t7qpQfBYEXybnEr9NbAqFcPyyq
All clips belong to the NHL. They are being used for entertainment purposes only, not for profit.
January 16, 2006 - It was a game where not much was expected. A 4 p.m. start on a Monday between two of the league's worst teams. Many in the D.C. area wouldn't have been crazy to not tune in. What unfolded didn't seem special at first either. A Coyotes' own goal credited to Ovechkin kicked off the scoring before a late powerplay goal sent the teams into the dressing room tied at 1. The Capitals took over in the second period, ending it with a 5-1 lead. At most, it felt like the Caps were on the way to their biggest blowout win of the season. Little did anyone know what was yet to come. With under 9 minutes left in the game, a rookie Ovechkin took making something out of nothing to a whole new level. Picking up a loose puck, he charged down on the right flank. Like he so often did in his younger days, he tried to deke around Coyotes defenseman Paul Mara. Mara played Ovechkin near perfectly, blocking the puck with his skate and knocking down the Caps' young superstar onto his back. Then, well, you all know the story by now. Falling on his back, facing away from the net, on his backhand, with one hand on the stick, Ovechkin still managed to put the puck in the net. To add to this legendary moment even further, two notable witnesses were in the building that day. First was none other than Wayne Gretzky, who was coaching the Coyotes at the time. Even the Great One was shown on replays in awe of the goal. The second was not on any replays, but up in the stands. An 8-year-old Auston Matthews was also at the game, as he recalled in a 2022 interview (youtu.be/nRsJGoya39U?t=55). Capitals play-by-play announcer Joe Beninati immediately declared it the goal of the year and over 16 years later, it's hard to argue that there has ever been a better goal scored in NHL history.
- Period 1 -
0:00 - Puck drop
0:52 - Defensive play on Nagy and shot
1:13 - Goal #1 - Coyotes own goal, originally credited to Dainius Zubrus
- Period 2 -
2:22 - Assist on Zubrus goal
3:35 - Foreshadowing
- Period 3 -
3:46 - Ovechkin credited with Coyotes own goal
5:32 - Goal #2 - "The Goal"
8:06 - Final buzzer
More classic Ovechkin games - youtube.com/playlist?list=PLH8bFa0t7qpQfBYEXybnEr9NbAqFcPyyq
All clips belong to the NHL. They are being used for entertainment purposes only, not for profit.
