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THE GREAT 8 GOT THE BIG ONE FROM 'HIS OFFICE'

  On Long Island, N.Y., even the hostile crowd got in  the mood. “ Ovi!… Ovi!… Ovi!” the fans chanted … and  seldom let up. It was the quintessential feel-good moment … when   ALEX OVECHKIN  became the NHL’s all-time  leader in putting the biscuit in the basket (sorry, I  couldn’t resist) at 1:47 p.m., Sunday … 7:26 into the  second period … beating fellow-Russian  ILIYA  SOROKIN , in goal for the New York Islanders, for  the first time ever (believe it or not), with one of his  classic shots from just inside the top of the left circle  … what just about everyone interviewed on Caps’  TV referred to as “his office.” In fact, it was noted by  long-time analyst (and former player)  CRAIG  LAUGHLIN  that, of his record 895 goals, 393 or  about 43 percent, were scored from that side of the  ice. “ Ovi! … Ovi! … Ovi!” To that point, although the Islanders led 2-0, it had  been “a typical ...
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EVERYONE AGREED: HE COULDN'T DO IT ... BUT OVECHKIN DID

  OK, so it was historic … and emotional … a once-in-a-lifetime occasion that brought smiles to anyone fortunate enough to watch – in person or via TV – as well as “goose-bumps” to the central figure of it all … as   ALEXANDER MIKHAILOVICH OVECHKIN   added   magic   to his list of credits.   “ Ovi! Ovi! Ovi!” the sellout crowd at Capital One  Arena started chanting early. “Ovi! Ovi! Ova!” There’s an old saying. “The difficult we do  immediately … the impossible takes a little longer.  Friday night Ovechkin did what nobody, himself  included, once thought possible. Scoring twice, the  Washington Capitals veteran captain pulled even  with  WAYNE GRETZKY  for the NHL lead in  career goals set 31 years ago. “ HE SCORES! THE GREAT 8 IS STANDING  SIDE-BY-SIDE WITH THE GREAT ONE,” said  Voice of the Caps  JOE BENINATI , obviously ready  for the moment after Ovechkin, 39, beat Chicago  Blackhawks...
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NEW KENT WILL CONTINUE TO GROW BECAUSE OF COLONIAL DOWNS

  New Kent County probably should have sued Virginia, the commonwealth of, for losing a lot of money when the General Assembly reneged on its pledge to convince the county to accept construction of Colonial Downs. In a deal that appeared, at the time, weighted against  New Kent – given the multitude of costs surrounding  the state’s only parimutuel Thoroughbred race race  track, which opened in 1995, the county nevertheless  agreed to take on the  burden . And most of the  politicians involved (cliché alert) breathed a sigh of  relief because they didn’t want the facility in  northern Virginia or Virginia Beach but rather some  centrally-located county even if it was “in the middle  of nowhere” … as one consultant put it. Until recently, when Richmond, the city of, in  particular cried foul over New Kent getting half of  all money bet at the track’s affiliated Rosie’s betting  parlors, the politicians recognized how w...
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LAUGHLIN IS TO CAPS WHAT COATES WAS TO FLYERS

  Hockey, hockey, and … more hockey ... Welcome back … one of sports’ really good  people,  CRAIG LAUGHLIN , who returned  to the Washington Capitals’ TV booth  Sunday (March 30) after missing more than  two months recovering from open heart  surgery … “Well, look what the dog just  dragged in,” said on-air partner  JOE  BENINATI . Laughlin, 67, has been to the Caps what  former Richmond Robin  STEVE COATES ,  now retired, was to the Philadelphia Flyers  radio/TV … friendly, fun guys who played  the game yet learned early on to take what  they did, but not themselves, seriously … In  fact, they enjoyed each other’s company so  much that the give-and-take kidding  occasionally got serious. In town to conduct  a youth clinic for  FRED FESTA ’s Ice Den in  Powhatan a couple of years ago, Laughlin  recalled being a guest on Coates’ between- periods show and … “we talked about a...
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FROM GENIUS TO KNUCKLEHEAD

Of all things … briefly told (that’s the plan, at  least): Once called “The Genius” by  an adoring press  corps, NHL Rangers coach  PETER  LAVIOLETTE   no longer qualifies. Half-witted  knucklehead is more like it now that the team  has lost seven of its last nine games and doesn’t  look like it cares about qualifying for the  playoffs … Friday night, on the road at the  Anaheim Ducks, which have zero chance of  making post-season play (for the eighth  straight  year), the Rangers blew a two-goal third period  lead and bowed  5- 4 in overtime … At least The  Former Genius couldn’t  blame Richmond’s  ZAC  JONES , who was a healthy scratch for the first  time  since Feb. 25 . Laviolette replaced the 23  year old left- handed defenseman with  URHO  VAAKANAINEN  who came that close to ending  teammate  IGOR SHESTERKIN ’s season … With  6:06 left in...
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VCU HIRES FATHER-SON TO REPLACE ODOM

  Noteworthy: So VCU hired the Martellis, father and son, to replace    RYAN ODOM  and run the men’s basketball program.  Officially,  PHIL MARTELLI JR ., 43, will be the coach  while Phil Sr., 70, will join him … “in some capacity,”  which has become the description most used by people  who seem to know what’s going on while everyone seems  reluctant to say what that really means … assuming they  know, of course. Given senior’s lifetime of college-coaching expertise to  go with, at times, an overly-aggressive A-personality …  and you can count on him being THE (if unofficial)  spokesman for Rams’ hoops as well as taking on anyone  who dares being critical of junior. And a lively time  should be had by all, eh? Sounds like fun to me. RICHARD PITINO , son of Rick, likewise was in the  mix … and might have been VCU’s first choice … that is,  we’re told, until he wouldn’t commit to staying more than...
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