"Washington Capitals forward Ryan Leonard had a rather special introduction to the NHL compared to most other rookies. While participating at the NHLPA Rookie Showcase at MedStar Capitals Iceplex on Wednesday, he recalled the moment he realized he was amongst giants in the Caps locker room. "Walked in and it's just me and Tom [Wilson] talking, and then obviously the bigger names [start arriving]," he described to reporters. "[Jakob] Chychrun walks in, [Dylan] Strome walks in and then you just see the big man walking down and you're like, 'Holy sh*t, that's Alex Ovechkin.'""
"The 20-year-old winger witnessed captain Alex Ovechkin pass Wayne Gretzky for most goals all-time and even tallied his first and only NHL marker in the same game Ovi tied said record. Gretzky himself took notice of Leonard's accomplishment, giving him kudos in the post-game locker room on a night that could've easily overshadowed his moment. "Congratulations on your first goal," he told Leonard while shaking his hand. "895 more and you can pass [Ovechkin].""
""It still doesn't sit," he told reporters Wednesday. "It's just a story you can tell for as long as you're alive, the pictures are just crazy... It's just so cool that I was here for however many days that was - even [Ovechkin] treated me like I'd been here all year.""
Ryan Leonard joined the Washington Capitals for nine games after leaving Boston College. He scored his first NHL goal on the same night captain Alex Ovechkin tied Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record. Leonard recalled walking into the Capitals locker room and realizing the size of the franchise's star players, naming Tom Wilson, Jakob Chychrun and Dylan Strome before recognizing Ovechkin. Wayne Gretzky congratulated Leonard in the post-game locker room and joked that Leonard would need 895 more goals to pass Ovechkin. Leonard said the experience still hasn't fully sunk in and called the memories 'so cool.'
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