It was June 26, 2004.
The hockey world was different then. No one knew the NHL was about to vanish for an entire year. No one knew that a kid from Moscow would eventually hunt down Wayne Gretzky’s "unbreakable" records. But in the RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, everyone knew the name Alexander Ovechkin.
He was the surest thing since Mario Lemieux. Scouts weren't just impressed; they were basically salivating.
The Washington Capitals held the first overall pick. They didn't blink. They didn't hesitate. They took Ovechkin, and in that moment, the trajectory of the entire franchise shifted.
When was Ovechkin drafted and what actually happened?
Technically, the Capitals made him the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.
But there’s a weird bit of trivia most people forget. The Florida Panthers actually tried to draft him a year earlier in 2003. Seriously. Florida’s GM at the time, Rick Dudley, tried to claim that if you accounted for leap years, Ovechkin was actually old enough to be eligible in 2003.
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The NHL didn't buy the math. They shot it down.
So, Ovi stayed in Russia for one more year with Dynamo Moscow, ripening until the 2004 class. When that draft finally rolled around, the debate wasn't about whether he’d go first—it was about how much higher the ceiling could possibly go for a guy who hit like a truck and shot like a laser.
The 2004 Draft Top 5
- Alex Ovechkin (Washington Capitals)
- Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh Penguins)
- Cam Barker (Chicago Blackhawks)
- Andrew Ladd (Carolina Hurricanes)
- Blake Wheeler (Phoenix Coyotes)
Honestly, looking at that list now, it's wild. Malkin at number two? That created a rivalry that defined the Eastern Conference for two decades. But poor Cam Barker at number three—life comes at you fast when you're drafted between two of the greatest Russians to ever lace them up.
The Lockout: A 16-Month Wait
You’d think being drafted number one means you start playing in October. Not for Ovi.
The 2004-05 NHL lockout wiped out the entire season. Think about that. The most hyped prospect in a generation was stuck in limbo. He went back to Dynamo Moscow, won a Russian Superleague title, and just... waited.
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It wasn't until October 5, 2005, that he finally stepped onto NHL ice against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
He scored twice.
On his very first shift, he hit a guy so hard that a piece of the glass stanchion fell out. Talk about an entrance.
Why that 2004 moment still matters in 2026
We're sitting here in 2026, and the "Great 8" is still a headline machine. Just a couple of months ago, in November 2025, he hit the 900-goal mark against the St. Louis Blues.
It’s almost impossible to process.
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When he was drafted back in 2004, the Capitals were a mess. They had finished with just 59 points the season prior. They were basically the basement of the league. Drafting Ovechkin didn't just give them a player; it gave them an identity.
He brought a Stanley Cup to D.C. in 2018. He won three Hart Trophies. He redefined what a power forward looks like in the modern era.
Most experts, like Ross Mahoney—who was the Caps' head of scouting back then—knew he was special, but nobody predicts 900+ goals. You just don't. You hope for a star; you don't expect a god of the game.
What you should do next
If you're a hockey fan or just someone following the history of the game, here is how to truly appreciate the Ovi era while it's still happening:
- Watch the old 2004 draft footage. It’s on YouTube. Look at his face—he’s just a kid with a gap-toothed smile who barely spoke English. It’s a trip.
- Track the 2026 scoring race. Even at 40, he’s still putting up numbers that make rookies look bad. Every goal he scores now is a piece of history that won't be repeated for a long, long time.
- Compare the 2004 draft class today. Look at how many of those guys are still in the league. Hint: It’s basically just him and Malkin holding the fort.
The 2004 draft wasn't just a meeting in North Carolina; it was the birth of the modern NHL.