Ilya Sorokin, the goaltender who allowed Alex Ovechkin’s record-breaking 895th career goal, has shown grace ever since becoming part of NHL history on April 6.
Sorokin made 28 saves and surrendered only one goal, Ovechkin’s historic marker, in the New York Islanders’ 4-1 victory that day.
After the game, Sorokin gave Ovechkin his goalie stick for nothing in return. Sorokin made the gesture so that the Capitals captain could have the items for his future Russian museum.
“Russian score against Russian [to] set the record. It’s pretty cool,” Ovechkin said after the game that day. “He’s such a great kid, and my kids love him.”
Sorokin also received a shout-out from Ovi during his mid-game ceremonial speech, saying, “Thank you, Ilya Sorokin, to let me score 895 – love you, brother.”
“It’s okay, anytime,” Sorokin cracked in the locker room in response.
Ovechkin’s thank you for letting me score comment caught the attention of the Russian podcast, Slippery Ice. The commentators, who include former Capital Andrei Nikolishin, Denis Kazansky, Filipp Maikov, and Andrey Osadchenko, asked Sorokin during a podcast appearance in late June if he had any sort of prior agreement with Ovechkin to let the shot go in.
Per the podcast and a Google translation of a partial transcript by sports.ru.
Sorokin: I think we had the most attended match of the season. The result was the same. I will repeat to everyone: we won that match. No one cares, but it is important for my confidence.
Evil tongues said that you had an agreement: [Sorokin] would miss, and [the Capitals] would give up the game.
Sorokin: For God’s sake. I can’t hear them. Who would negotiate in the NHL?! The last time I spoke to Sasha was probably when we played the first game at [Capital One Arena]. After the game: “Hi-hi, bye-bye”, there was still a long way to go to break the record, there was no opportunity.
Did you ever want to say: “[New York Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov], I have a pulled groin, maybe you could play”?
Sorokin: There were such thoughts (laughs). But, at the same time, high pressure, but it is a challenge, it was interesting to accept it. It turned out the way it turned out. The match left more positive impressions than negative ones.
And Varlamov himself didn’t come up to you and ask you to play?
Sorokin: He was recovering at the time. He said: “Of course I would have played.”
When Gretzky scored the record goal… The goalie [Kirk McLean] who let the goal in said, “I really don’t want to end up in the crossword puzzle.”
Sorokin: What’s wrong with them? If I see something like that one day, I’ll smile.
Later in the interview, Sorokin revealed that he didn’t see the shot due to being screened by several players in front of him. Ovechkin scored the power-play marker via a one-timer after taking a cross-ice pass from Tom Wilson as he entered the offensive zone.
“There were three players in front of me, and that blocked my vision a lot,” Sorokin said. “I didn’t see the puck. I only saw it when it flew out of the net, and he dove down the blue line (to celebrate). That’s all I saw.”
“I probably over-corrected a bit,” Sorokin added. “He usually shoots to the left, and I took a slightly incorrect position.”
The NHL paused the game and proceeded to honor Ovechkin with a ceremony on the UBS Arena ice, where NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and Wayne Gretzky, the former record holder, spoke. Sorokin said the long break in play made it hard to get back into the game.
“Yes, there was such a moment (of frustration),” he said. “I read somewhere that initially there was a limit on celebration, 8 or 14 minutes. When it all happened, there was a strange feeling. The first five minutes — dissatisfaction, and then it was forgotten. Then we stand for 10 minutes, 20.. In the end, it all lasted about 25 minutes. The score was 2-1, there was still half a match to play. Well, I went to warm up.”
Ovechkin approached Sorokin before play struck up again. The netminder, who’s familiar with Ovi’s trash talk with other goalies, believed he might get chirped, but instead was approached with an earnest request.
“Ovechkin came up to me, I thought, he’s going to laugh now, but he asked me to give him his stick after the game,” Sorokin said. “I didn’t ask him for anything; I realized it was useless.”
Shortly after the buzzer, Sorokin made his way over to Ovechkin and delivered his twig. He also promised his catching glove after the season. His only request was to sign some pucks for his teammates. The two then took a picture together with Gretzky.
“I try to treat everything with irony. After the game, when we shook hands, he told me: ‘Well, Sorok, thank you,’” Sorokin said, laughing.
Sorokin was also teased in his own locker room.
“Matt Martin said, ‘I knew you’d give in to him,’” Sorokin recalled, smiling. “You can’t get around that.”
Sorokin was aware of journalists’ predictions, using Ovi’s goals-per-game rate, that the legendary winger’s faithful goal might happen on Long Island against the Islanders. And on him.
“It all started a couple of weeks ago, when bets and predictions began that maybe it would happen right here, right at that time,” Sorokin said. “How did I feel before the game? Excited, of course.
“There was a little more excitement when we went out for the pre-game warm-up. Usually, there are about 50 people standing in the opponent’s jerseys, but here they were all wearing Washington jerseys to the brim.”
Ovechkin’s goal on Sorokin that day was the first time he had ever scored on the netminder. Sorokin admitted he was a little weirded out about that.
“Everyone has ambitions, my task is not to let a goal in,” Sorokin said. “And, of course, when it was scored, and when you are told a month in advance that you will most likely be the goalie who lets in a record goal… You are a little taken aback.”
As for whether Ovi’s goal and being a part of history may haunt his career moving forward, Sorokin was dubious.
“Absolutely not,” he said, laughing. “At least, I want to believe that it won’t affect me in any way and won’t leave an indelible impression on my psychology.”