The inescapable storyline leading up to Tuesday's tilt between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Washington Capitals was Alex Ovechkin's pregame comments, in which he said his opponent needs to learn to "play differently" if it plans on winning a Stanley Cup.
After the Capitals' 4-3 victory, during which Ovechkin recorded four points, Leafs head coach Mike Babcock was asked what he thought about the player's statement.
"Well, I don't know if he's wrong," Babcock said. "I think he knows because he lived it. If you look at Steve Yzerman, he lived it. A lot of guys live it until they're 30. You've got to decide whether you wait until you're 30 or do you want to figure it out now? It's the ultimate team game and you've got to sacrifice individual rights for team rights."
Ovechkin's list of individual accomplishments was largely overshadowed by a lack of playoff success prior to winning the Stanley Cup in 2018. The Capitals hadn't made it out of the second round since drafting Ovechkin until they won it all two seasons ago.
"He lived it," Babcock said. "He was the guy. Then he figured it out. 'This is what we've got to do to win.'"
Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews was also asked about Ovechkin's comments and agreed that playoff growing pains can help a team.
"Yeah, I mean, how many times did they lose to Pittsburgh before they finally broke through?" Matthews said, according to TSN's Mark Masters. "You learn from those experiences."
Ovechkin's stellar performance Tuesday night continued his dominance versus the Maple Leafs, as he scored his 40th and 41st goals in his 50th game versus Toronto.
