Irwin’s crazy 24 hours included birth of child, first Caps goal originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington Matt Irwin had himself a day. Washington’s 34-year-old defenseman played in just his 16th game with the Capitals in Tuesday night’s 9-2 demolition over the Philadelphia Flyers. In the process, the veteran scored his first goal with Washington on a slap shot from the blue line to put the home side up 6-1. He had rung the post on a shot earlier in the game but to no avail. This time, it pierced mesh.
Irwin’s first tally with the Capitals was the second-biggest thing that happened to him over the course of the last 24 hours, though. He announced via Instagram that his wife Chantel gave birth to a baby daughter the night prior. Lennon Elizabeth Irwin was born on April 11, 2022 at 10:30 p.m., less than a full day before her father lit up the red light for the Capitals. Washington Capitals defenseman Matt Irwin announced via Instagram the birth of his new baby daughter. (Screenshot courtesy Instagram) ‘Baby and Mom are doing great!!’ the post concluded. Irwin’s last NHL goal came 1,223 days before Tuesday’s matchup. Interestingly enough, that goal was scored while he was a member of the Nashville Predators, coached by none other than Peter Laviolette. Washington’s head coach took note of Irwin’s contributions on The Sports Junkies on 106.7 the Fan on Wednesday. “He hadn’t been in the lineup for a little bit, he came in and played such a strong game for us last night,” Laviolette said. “He comes every day to work, he’s an unbelievable teammate, he works as hard as he can every day in practice, does all the right things to be a pro. He’s really, really liked by his teammates and respected by his teammates for what he does on a daily basis.” Irwin ended up with a stellar 18:17 ice time in Washington’s victory, even more than his fellow defenseman John Carlson. Aside from his goal, Irwin tallied three total shots on net and added one hit.
He played a role in one of his teammates’ big nights as well. Irwin supplied the secondary assist on Garnet Hathaway’s 12th goal on the season, which became a career-high for the 30-year-old right-winger. “To kinda add to the story, he had a baby, his wife had a baby less than 24 hours prior,” Laviolette said of Irwin. “He was in the hospital and he was dealing with that and so he has a monster game like that. I think everybody was just really happy for him and the fact that he got in there and played as well as he did and scored a goal—it was a good 24-hour run for him.” Chance would have it that Irwin wasn’t the only Capital who had a baby within a day of Washington’s victory over Philly. Defenseman Nick Jensen and his wife Jenner (who have known each other since they were five years old), welcomed Leon Theodore Jensen into the world on April 11 as well. As with the Irwin family, both mother and baby Jensen are doing well, per the Capitals’ tweet.
Help us in welcoming to the #ALLCAPS family Leon Theodore Jensen and Lennon Elizabeth Irwin! Both born on April 11th and everyone is doing great. pic.twitter.com/V4VHX6zWm8
“It’s a pretty big 24 to 30 hours,” Laviolette said postgame on Tuesday night. “Two new babies in the family, so everybody’s doing great. That’s awesome.”
All about Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin with stats and contract info
All about Alex Ovechkin with stats and contract info originally appeared on NBC Sports WashingtonEver since making his NHL debut in 2005, Capitals star Alex Ovechkin has proven to be the greatest goalscorer the sport has ever seen.The 2004 No. 1 overall pick scored two goals in his first career game and hasn't stopped finding the back of the net at record pace, putting him within reach of Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals mark. Ovechkin has compiled an impressive trophy case along the way, winning three Hart Memorial Trophy MVPs, a record nine Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophies as the NHL's leading goal scorer, nine NHL First-Team selections, 12 all-star selections, the 2018-19 Stanley Cup title and the Conn Smythe Trophy for the MVP of that year's playoffs.He is undoubtedly one of the greatest hockey players of all time. Alex Ovechkin's BioHeight: 6-foot-3Weight: 238 poundsBirthdate: Sept. 17, 1985 Birthplace: Moscow, RussiaNHL experience: 17 seasonsJersey No. 8Alex Ovechkin's Career StatsAfter showing no signs of slowing down with a 50-goal season in Year 17, Ovechkin has continued to put up mind-boggling stats deep into his 30s. Here are his complete career numbers to date (through Oct 11, 2022): 1,274 games played780 goals scored630 assists1,410 pointsStanley Cup Playoffs:141 games71 goals64 assists135 pointsAlex Ovechkin's Contract DetailsIt was always a matter of "when" and not "if" Alex Ovechkin would sign a contract extension with the Capitals this past offseason. The five-year, $47.5 million deal he signed at the end of July 2021 showed his desire to finish his career in the nation's capital with an eye towards breaking the all-time goals record as well. Ovechkin's deal ends following the 2025-26 season. Where does Alex Ovechkin rank on the all-time goals list? Ovechkin finished his 17th NHL season with a clean 50 goals, bringing his career total to 780. Here's where that ever-growing mark ranks on the all-time goals leaderboard: Wayne Gretzky: 894Gordie Howe: 801Alex Ovechkin: 780Jaromir Jagr: 766Brett Hull: 741Other Alex Ovechkin RecordsMuch has been made about Ovechkin's all-time goals chase, but he's also accumulated some other pretty impressive records along the way as well. Most recently, Ovi broke the all-time power play goals mark with his 275th score on New Year's Eve against the Red Wings. By a second, he narrowly beat the release of Detroit's man in the penalty box to secure the record. Here are some of the Great 8's other all-time NHL records: Most scoring titles: nineMost overtime goals: 24Most consecutive 30-goal seasons: 15 (tied with Jaromir Jagr and Mike Gartner)
