League defers the moment, Capitals ready the stage for Alex Ovechkin's 900th

The league is pumping the brakes, at least officially. In an interview published Tuesday, deputy commissioner Bill Daly said milestone ceremonies are typically club run, not league run, and that Washington would steer any 900 celebration.

Practically, the message puts the spotlight on Monumental Sports. The Capitals handled 895 week well, leaning into family, history, and Gretzky's presence, so a club centric plan for 900 fits the pattern and the market.

Ovechkin is doing his part. He snapped his early drought Friday, hitting 898, then kept pushing play the next two games as Washington sought secondary scoring and cleaner entries through the dot lane.

As a fan and an analyst, I get the logic, but it risks feeling small if the puck drops, the lamp lights twice, and the league stays quiet on a number this iconic.

Short term, the hockey is simple. Tuesday brings Seattle, a layered forecheck that forces chips, and Saturday brings Ottawa, a place where Ovechkin has banked loud nights. Both are smart stages for a moment that sells itself.

Daly's framing still leaves room for league texture. Nothing stops the NHL from amplifying video, commissioning a mini feature, or sending alumni, even if the ceremony bones are built by the Capitals.

Inside the room, none of this changes Ovechkin's usage. Spencer Carbery keeps him in his usual spots, power play one on the left flank, five on five with puck carriers who can hit that weak side seam early.

When 900 comes, the bench will swell around the captain, because numbers like that validate careers and habits. What matters for Washington is translating that pop into the next shift, winning the change game and the wall battles.

Fans will make noise regardless of the logo on the mic stand. If the league truly stays hands off, the building can still breathe history, and the Capitals can turn a round number into two points and a memory.