Alex Ovechkin's night began with a tribute to Kobe Bryant, and ended with a message from Steve Yzerman.
After passing Yzerman on the NHL's all-time goals list in the Capitals 5-4 loss to the Predators, Ovechkin, who wore Bryant's No. 24 during warmups, received a salute from the Red Wings general manager.
A salute that came with a request.
"Hey Alex, Steve Yzerman form Detroit here. Just waned to congratulate you on moving into sole possession of ninth place on the league's all-time scoring list," said Yzerman. "You've had a tremendous career to date and looks like you're going strong and might play forever. Best of luck, continued success. I've really enjoyed watching you play and watching you fill the net.
With 693 goals, Ovechkin is 201 away from Gretzky -- a record long thought to be unbreakable. He's on pace to score about 20 more this season. If he plays until he's 40, he'd have to average 30 goals for six more seasons. He's averaged 48 over his career.
Don't look now, but Ovie just might do it. And Yzerman might wind up next to him, swimming in a fountain.