WASHINGTON (WUSA9)--The Great Eight, also known as Washington Capitals Alex Ovechkin, can finally say he made it.
Fourteen years later, Ovechkin is taking the Caps where the team hasn't gone in 20 years: The Stanley Cup Finals.
But how did he do it?
Ovechkin Early Years
Alex Ovechkin was selected by the Washington Capitals first overall in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.
Prior to being selected, he was projected as the first overall pick for almost two years.
NHL teams knew that he was such a good pick, the general manager of the Panthers, Rick Dudley tried to draft Ovechkin in the 2003 draft, even though Ovechkin wasn't exactly old enough to be drafted.
After getting drafted, the NHL entered a lockout, which caused Ovechkin to remain with his previous team, the Dynamo Moscow, for one more season.
In that season, he helped the Dynamo win the Russian Superleague title.
Not knowing if the NHL lockout would go on for another season, Ovechkin decided to sign with another Russian hockey team to continue playing.
To also keep his eligibility with the NHL, he decided to sign a three-year contract, the rookie maximum of $984,200 per season that carried performance-based bonuses to increase his salary to as much as $3.9 million a year.
Rookie Year with the Caps
Shortly after signing his three-year contract with the Caps, Ovechkin played his first game in the NHL and with the Caps against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
He scored two goals, helping the Caps win 3-2.
In January 2006, Ovechkin and the Caps took on the Phoenix Coyotes, and he scored a goal that Bill Clement, veteran hockey reporter, called "one of the greatest goals of all time."
After that game, Ovechkin was named NHL Rookie of the Month for January 2006, as well as Offensive Player of the Month.
He became just the third player in the NHL history to earn both of those titles at the same time.
Proving why he was chosen number one overall in the 2004 draft, Ovechkin finished his first season leading all rookies in goals, points, power-play goals, and shots.
He was also named to the NHL First All-Star Team, and was the the first rookie to receive that honor in 15 years.
Obviously after his three-year contract, the Capitals' organization was impressed and wanted to hold on to Ovechkin for as long as they could.
The team decided to offer the young player a 13-year contract extension worth $124 million, and Ovechkin signed on January 10, 2008.
A Superstar in the Making
"The truth is that we are witnessing one of the most amazing players in NHL history, even if not all of us understand that yet."- Kevin Allen, USA Today November 2015
After signing the long-term contract extension, Alex Ovechkin began to make a big name for himself.
In the 2007-2008 season he received the Art Ross Trophy, Maurice Richard Trophy, Ted Lindsay Award, and the Hart Memorial Trophy.
After receiving the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's MVP, Ovechkin was also given a key to the city by D.C. mayor Adrian M. Fenty, for being the first Washington MVP winner in a large-scale sport since Washington Redskins player Joe Theismann in 1983.
That season was the first time in 41 seasons that a left-winger led the NHL in points, since Chicago Blackhawks Bobby Hull led the league with 97 points in 1956.
The accolades and recognition continued to come after every season.
It actually wasn't until the 2009-2010 season that Ovechkin was suspended for the first time for a knee-on-knee hit to Carolina defenseman Tim Gleason.
That suspension alone caused him to forfeit his $98,844 salary.
In 2010 after Caps captain Chris Clark was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets, Ovechkin was named captain.
To continue his amazing season, Ovechkin passed the Hall of Fame goaltender Bill Durnan, and became the first player in NHL history voted a First Team All-Star in each of his first five seasons.
On April 5, 2011 Alex scored his 300th career goal, making him the sixth-youngest and seventh-fastest player to do so.
From 2012-2016, Ovechkin continued to receive honors, but the Caps were coming up short on the one trophy that mattered most, the Stanley Cup.
In 2014 the Caps missed the playoffs for the first time since 2006-2007.
In 2016, the Capitals made the playoffs, but were eliminated by their rival, the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round.
Road to the Stanley Cup
"Oh my God," he said. "It's unbelievable. I can't explain my emotions. I'm just happy for my boys, for organizations, for fans. Finally," Alex Ovechkin said as he put on the Eastern Conference champions hat.
Since Ovechkin became the captain and face of the Washington Capitals, he's also received a lot of the blame.
But that didn't stop him from focusing on the new season and what it could mean for the team this year.
Perhaps he saw the future before any of us did.
On March 12, Ovechkin became the 20th player to ever score 600 career goals, and the fourth do to do it in 1,000 games.
After that game, the Caps went on to win 10 out of their last 13 games, leading them to the playoffs for the fourth season in a row.
What seemed like a series that reminded all Caps fans of seasons past that were full of disappointments, ended in celebration when the Caps took down the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round.
Advancing to the Conference Finals for the first time since 1998 was a pretty big deal for the team, and not being able to accomplish that since being on the team, most likely weighed heavy on Ovechkin.
In true Capitals fashion, the team made the series against Tampa Bay go all the way to Game 7, keeping fans on their toes.
Now, after 13 seasons, Alex Ovechkin is leading the Capitals to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in his career.
So how does he feel?
"The special thing is because we're winning," Ovechkin said before the Capitals left for Las Vegas. "That's the whole thing. That's all I can say. We win and we move forward. We've never been in this position before. All my career, I played for this team, and we never get the success like that."
Well Ovi, Caps' fans do hope you get success like that, and we'll be screaming "GO CAPS" the entire series.
Contact Ashley on Twitter @AshleyHasSpoken
