The Washington Post - 22.02.2020

toni L. sandys/the Washington Post

describing alex ovechkin, above, one peer s aid,

“i don’t think ‘special’ really does it justice.”

KLMNO

SPORTS

saturday, february 22 , 2020. washingtonpost.com/sports M2 d

BY CHUCK CULPEPPER in lake placid, n.y.

ing” because really now, lake

placid central school sits just

across little cummings Road

looking like some Hollywood

high school set.

Herb Brooks arena, so named

since 2005 after the late coach of

that american hockey team, sits

in a snow-globe town way, w ay o ff

interstate 87 after the signs cau-

tioning drivers of moose cross-

ing. it’s near a skate shop, a

Japanese restaurant, a pizza

joint, a Mobil and an american

legion post, along a thick stretch

of shops and one-off motels with

names such as edelweiss and art

devlin’s olympic Motor inn.

said sandy caligiore, who

knows the arena so well, “Well,

you know, it’s one big rectangle,

more or less.”

ye t even 40 years after the U.s.

olympic hockey team upset-of-

all-upset the soviet Union, 4-3,

on Friday, Feb. 22, 1980, then beat

see lake placid on d4

reliving a miracle

Forty years later, magic still pulses in the arena

in Lake Placid that housed s ports’ biggest upset

Photos by associated Press

BY LES CARPENTER

AND MARK MASKE

The Washington Redskins be-

lieve there is a strong chance that

seven-time pro Bowl left tackle

Trent Williams will return to the

team for the 2020 season, accord-

ing to a person familiar with the

organization’s planning.

new coach Ron Rivera remains

intent on convincing Williams to

rejoin the team, according to that

person, who spoke on the condi-

tion of anonymity because the

person was not authorized to

speak publicly on the matter.

Getting Williams to play for the

Redskins again is “still a huge

focus for Ron,” the person said,

adding that the “tea leaves” indi-

cate Williams will be back.

Williams, 31, held out for all of

last year’s o ffseason activities and

training camp, as well as the first

half of the season. He had de-

manded a trade because he was

unhappy with the way the team’s

medical staff had handled a

growth on his head that turned

out to be cancerous. Williams

returned to the club just minutes

before the oct. 29 trade deadline

but was placed on the non-foot-

ball injury list. He said the team

see redskins on d3

Redskins

foresee

Williams

returning

Swaying tackle apparently

i s priority for Rivera,

and team likes chances

Herb Brooks, above, led the U.s. men’s hockey team to a 4-3 win

over the soviets in the 19 80 olympics in an arena in lake

placid, n.Y., that was r enamed after the late coach in 200 5.

O

f all the Rose Bowls and

the lambeaus, all the

Fenways and the dodg-

ers, all the Gardens and

the oracles and the

nHl rinks amid 24 U.s. cities or

parking lots, somehow that bash-

ful, 7,700-seat building back there

off Main street wound up graced

with the nation’s tiptop outcome.

somehow, fate decided the fore-

most goose bump of american

sports, the closing weekend of the

1980 olympic men’s hockey tour-

nament, should settle itself in-

side an unassuming, boxy grunt.

look, that’s really the edifice,

that white thing rising behind

but partially occluded by an ador-

able gift shop. The harbor of

miracles rests just steps across

Main street from the pickled pig

pub. a sign on the side of the

arena warns pedestrians about

falling ice. The parking lot be-

hind it nags that it’s for “lake

placid central school staff park-

BY JESSE DOUGHERTY

WEST PALM BEACH, FLA. — The

Houston astros’ clubhouse was

closed to reporters for more than

three hours Friday morning until

the doors swung o pen and people

poured out.

They were all from the Major

league Baseball players associa-

tion, and they spent that time

speaking with the astros, who

are under the microscope after

their sign-stealing scandal. and

in the three-plus hours, which

could have fit an entire game, the

lobby of the astros’ facility filled

with cameras and reporters who

were waiting for To ny clark, the

M lBpa’s executive director, who

emerged just after noon. Then

the questions began.

What was discussed during

such a long visit?

“if i wanted everyone to know

what was discussed in there, i

would have had you guys in the

see astros on d2

MLBPA

chief says

culture led

to scandal

At Astros camp, Clark

urges MLB to examine

overall use of technology

college football

david Forney, a starting

guard as a senior at navy

in 2019, dies at 22, the

academy announces. b1

pro football

the nFLPa postpones

an expected vote on

the proposed cba by

team representatives. d3

soccer

d.c. United’s three

high-school-aged players

are learning a lot about

the game — and life. d8

BY SAMANTHA PELL

When teammates, opponents and coaches

start talking about alex ovechkin, the stories

are endless. They range from personal interac-

tions to unforgettable goals to the Washington

capitals’ captain soaking wet in the George-

town fountains.

ovechkin’s next goal will be the 700th of his

career, and anticipation of the milestone has

given the hockey world reason to look at his

career and r ecall t he m oments that endure. ask

people in the game to share their favorite

memory of ovechkin, and the answers don’t

disappoint.

luc Robitaille, an eight-time nHl all-star

who scored 668 goals, can recall ovechkin’s

first game i n los angeles. R obitaille w as sitting

on the bench and later t old a friend that he h ad

never seen a player take over a game in such a

way.

see capitals on d3

Peers stand in awe of Ovechkin

As Caps star aims for No. 700,

a llowed the worst team in the those in game reflect on career

eastern conference to run away

with a 113-108 victory in their first

game after the all-star break.

“This game was really impor-

tant for us,” r ookie Rui Hachimu-

ra said. “We’re trying to make the

playoffs, and we’re trying to make

a run, but we lost.”

Bradley Beal scored 26 points

(on 9-for- 28 shooting) and proba-

bly finished with just as many

bruises. He sensed the urgency in

the final quarter and flung him-

self around, often hitting the

court with loud thuds. Beal

showed the same urgency after

the game by exiting the locker

room before reporters were per-

mitted inside to ask questions.

after one of the Wizards’ more

frustrating losses of the season,

see wizards on d5

BY CANDACE BUCKNER

if the Washington Wizards tru-
ly aspire to make the playoffs,
they must take care of certain
games — games such as the one
Friday night, when the cleveland
cavaliers came to capital one
arena with a new coach but the
same problems.
The cavaliers can’t defend,
struggle to score and fumbled
away so many games that John
Beilein cited the toll all that losing
had on his happiness as the rea-
son he would rather walk away
from millions than coach another
game for cleveland.
and yet these vocal Wizards,
who have talked up their pros-
pects of making the postseason,

Wizards stumble out of break

with loss to East’s worst team

Cavaliers 113,

Wizards 108

spring training opener:

Nationals at astros

today, 6 p.m., Masn

Wizards at bulls

tomorrow, 7 p.m., nbcsW capitals at devils | today, 1 p.m., nbcsW