saturday, february 22 , 2020. the washington post eZ M2 d3
told him not to come back to the
facility.
In November, Williams said he
didn’t see a way his broken rela-
tionship with the team could be
fixed. But that was before team
president Bruce Allen and long-
time trainer Larry Hess were
fired and rivera was hired to run
the organization’s football opera-
tions. one of rivera’s first moves
as coach was to hire respected
trainer ryan Vermillion, hoping
it would help convince Williams
to return.
Two weeks ago, a person with
knowledge of the situation said
that rivera and Williams had
been in contact and that the two
might meet at the team’s facility
redskins from d1 at some point.
With the start of free agency
just three weeks away, Williams is
a critical piece of the team’s off-
season plans. If he returns, rivera
can fill a huge hole on the offen-
sive line with a player who is
considered one of the NfL’s best
left tackles. The redskins can
then turn their attention to re-
taining guard Brandon Scherff
before he hits unrestricted free
agency next month, either by
giving Scherff a contract exten-
sion or using the franchise tag on
him.
Williams is going into the final
season of a five-year, $66 million
extension he signed in 2015. He
had preliminary discussions with
the team about another extension
late in the 2018 season, and he
could insist on a contract exten-
sion as a condition of his return.
After releasing cornerback
Josh Norman, tight end Jordan
reed and wide receiver Paul rich-
ardson Jr. in recent days, the
redskins have roughly $61 mil-
lion in salary cap space, accord-
ing to the salary website over the
Cap. They c an clear more room by
giving Williams an extension —
he counts for $14.75 million
against the cap — which could
allow Washington to give Scherff
a new contract and address other
offseason needs, such as wide
receiver, tight end and defensive
back.
This week, the team picked up
the 2020 option for running back
Adrian Peterson, who is one of
Williams’s close friends and busi-ness partners.
If rivera and Williams can’t
come to an agreement, the red-
skins could trade him. Last year,
an executive from another NfL
team suggested Washington
could get a second-round draft
pick for Williams. The redskins
don’t have a second-round selec-
tion this year. Trading Williams
would save the team $12. 75 mil-
lion of cap space but also would
leave rivera scrambling to find a
replacement. There aren’t many
starting left tackles available in
free agency, a nd while many tack-
les are projected to go in the first
two rounds of April’s draft, pick-
ing one might not be as appealing
as bringing back Williams.
[email protected]
[email protected]Redskins l ike c hances of swaying Williams to return
representatives with the owner
representatives shall not be bind-
ing on the NfLPA until it has been
ratified by a majority of the mem-
bers of the NfLPA voting for
ratification or rejection.” It’s not
clear when a vote of all players
would occur.
Additional details on the pro-
posed CBA emerged friday. NfL
Commissioner roger Goodell
would continue to resolve play-
ers’ appeals of discipline imposed
under the personal conduct poli-
cy. The initial disciplinary ruling
would be made by a neutral per-
son appointed by the league and
NfLPA.
If the NfL goes to a 17-game
regular season, the additional
games would not all be interna-
tional games. So teams presum-
ably would alternate between
having eight home games one
season and nine home games the
next.
Active rosters would increaseby two players per team. Te ams
would have the ability to activate
a third player from injured re-
serve per season.
The only ways for a player to be
suspended for marijuana would
be if a test was fraudulent or
tampered with or if doctors in the
program agreed that the player
was a habitual offender who was
at risk and needed time away.
The current CBA runs through
the 2020 season. A failure by the
players to ratify the new CBA
probably would lead the sides to
intensify preparations for a possi-
ble work stoppage in 2021. It’s n ot
definite that owners would go
forward with the expanded, 14-
team playoffs for the 2020 season
if the players don’t r atify the CBA,
but the league believes the own-
ers would have that option. A
person close to the situation said
Thursday the owners “probably”
would move forward with it.
[email protected]BY MARK MASKEA day after NfL owners ap-
proved a 10-year collective bar-
gaining agreement, the players’
union postponed an expected
vote friday of its team representa-
tives, part of maneuvering that
exposed deep divisions among
the players about the deal.
The NfL Players Association
said it plans to meet next week
with representatives of the league
and owners before a vote of the
32 player reps is taken. According
to a person familiar with the
situation, that meeting is sched-
uled for Tuesday in Indianapolis
at t he NfL scouting combine. The
NfLPA then could put the pro-
posed CBA to an approval vote of
all NfL players, regardless of the
outcome of any vote of the
32 player reps, as was being
planned earlier friday.
“Today, the NfLPA Board of
Player representatives did not
take a vote on the principal terms
of a proposed new collective bar-
gaining agreement,” the union
said in a written statement. “our
player leadership looks forward
to meeting with NfL manage-
ment again next week before the
Board takes a vote shortly after.”
There were indications earlier
friday that the NfLPA was plan-
ning to put the proposed CBA —
which includes a 17-game regular
season, expanded playoffs and
changes to the league’s m arijuana
policy and system of player disci-
pline — to a vote of all NfL players
for ratification. But the NfLPA,
whose ruling executive commit-
tee voted friday against recom-mending approval of the deal,
instead expressed its desire to
meet with owners and league rep-
resentatives before proceeding.
It’s not clear whether the
league and owners are willing to
negotiate further or make addi-
tional concessions to the players.
The NfL said in a written state-
ment Thursday, following the
owners’ vote, that the owners
“also approved moving forward
under the final year of the 2011
CBA if the players decide not to
approve the negotiated terms” of
the new CBA.
Some players have expressed
opposition to a 17-game season,
citing health and safety concerns.
Under NfLPA rules, the proposed
CBA would be ratified and put
into effect if it is approved by a
majority of NfL players.Player leaders spoke by confer-
ence call friday, and the 11-mem-
ber executive committee voted,
6-5, against recommending ap-
proval of the deal, according to a
person familiar with the delibera-
tions. That was curious, given
that the players on the executive
committee participated in the
process by which Demaurice
Smith, the NfLPA’s executive di-
rector, and other union leaders
negotiated the proposed CBA
with representatives of the own-
ers and league.
It previously had been thought
that the deal had to be approved
by at l east two-thirds of the player
reps before being put to a vote of
all players. But the NfLPA’s con-
stitution says: “A ny Collective
Bargaining Agreement tentative-
ly agreed to by the Board ofUnion delays CBA vote, sets talks for NFL combine
toni l. sandys/the washington postcan alex Ovechkin top Wayne Gretzky’s mark of 894 goals? “if there is one guy that can do it, it is him,” Hall of Famer luc robitaille said.
“Skill, pure strength, every-
thing,” robitaille said. “That was
his rookie year. He must have
thrown about five hits against us. I
think he had a goal or two, but I
don’t even remember if he scored.
But he just dominated the game
physically, skill-wise and every-
thing. It was so different.... He
surprised g uys.”
Younger players, such as the
Vancouver Canucks’ Elias Petters-
son, remember their first on-ice
encounters with ovechkin after
his star status had been well estab-
lished. Pettersson grew up watch-
ing o vechkin, and it was a tad
surreal to share the same ice as the
russian.
However, at some point during
the game, the ref blew the whistle
signaling offside, and Pettersson
finally had his first interaction
with the s tar.
“I didn’t t hink it was offsides, so
I kind of said something to the
ref,” Pettersson explained. “Then
ovechkin told me like, ‘Just be
quiet or.. .’ And, yeah, I don’t
want to say exactly what he said,
but it is just like a little quick
chirp. It was fun. He is an unbe-
lievable player, an unbelievable
shot, so just a fun moment.”
Seasoned players have other
memories of ovechkin, usually
ones that end poorly for his oppo-
nents. New York rangers winger
Chris Kreider remembered play-
ing in the second round of the
playoffs against t he Capitals.
capitals from d1 “I think it might have been my
first shift that I had against him,”
Kreider said. “I tried to throw a
pass through the middle of the ice,
and h e stepped up and hammered
it off the bar and in. And I sat on
the b ench and got to watch him for
the r est of the night.
“He’s... I don’t think ‘special’
really does it justice. He’s such a
weapon; he’s so dangerous when
he’s o n the ice.”
The Nashville Predators’
r oman Josi also has had his fair
taste of reality against ovechkin.
once, the Predators were beating
the Capitals in Nashville, and
ovechkin had been kind of quiet.
Then, in t he midst of two minutes,
he scored “two unbelievable one-
timers” a nd took the game over.
“It is just what he does,” Josi
said. “You give him a little too
much space, and he’s just going to
score. Pretty cool to play against
him a nd pretty hard, too.”
Then there are the standout
moments, the ones the players of
the past, present and most likely
future will remember. The biggest
was “The Goal” o n Jan. 1 6, 2006. I t
was the final goal of the Capitals’
6-1 victory, with 8:06 remaining
during an afternoon g ame against
the P hoenix Coyotes.
A rookie ovechkin carried the
puck over the blue line and cut to
the middle against defenseman
Paul mara. The russian fell as he
tried to toe-drag while crossing
the slot, maintaining control of
the p uck the e ntire t ime, before he
slid toward the left circle and
rolled o nto h is back. With his stick
reaching, he hooked the p uck b ack
toward the net and slid it past the
goalie.
“That goal that he scored be-
hind his back was pretty cool. I
mean, I remember I was pretty
young, I was still in Switzerland,
and, yeah, everybody saw that
goal,” Josi said. “It was pretty
s pecial.”
Some players have more per-
sonal memories of ovechkin, s uch
as Nathan macKinnon of the C olo-
rado Avalanche remembering a
specific YouTube video of the
young r ussian star that was m ade
in 2008.
“I remember growing up, he
had the sickest YouTube montage
ever,” s aid m acKinnon, w ho was 13
when the video came out. “It was
like a ‘Dream on’ soundtrack, and
it was eight minutes of him doing
crazy stuff. Actually, we were talk-
ing about it the other day with allthe young guys on the team, who
grew up in the era of [Sidney
Crosby] and ovi, that YouTube
video came up. That is a big
i mpact on my l ife for s ure.”
Capitals defenseman John
Carlson recalls when a men’s
health magazine published a fea-
ture on ovechkin and the russian
was running up and down the
team plane asking f or copies. As i t
turned out, his teammates had
hidden them all.
“Still gets talked about to this
day,” C arlson s aid with a laugh.
Some recall not a specific mo-
ment but an attribute. ovechkin’s
scoring ability from the left circle
on the power play — his “office,” a s
it has come to be known — is a
singular defining t rait.
“Nobody that has ever been
more dangerous than him in that
spot on the power play in the
history of our game,” Calgary
flames defenseman m ark Giorda-
no said. “... I t’s been pretty cool t o
watch his career.”
With ovechkin showing no
signs of s lowing down, the conver-
sation quickly t urns to his next 1 00
goals — and maybe even surpass-
ing Wayne G retzky’s record of 894.
“If there is one guy that has a
chance, it’s him,” robitaille said.
“It’s still hard; it’s going to be
really hard. But if there is one guy
that can do it, it is him. T here i s no
one else. I don’t believe there will
be anyone else who is going to
come in during the next 20 years
and b e even near him.”
[email protected]Peers reflect on Ovechkin’s g reatness
Capitals’ next t hreeat n ew J ersey devilstoday1nBcsw,
nhlnvs. pittsburgh penguinstomorrow noon nBcvs. Winnipeg Jetstuesday7nBcswRadio: WJFK (106.7 FM),
WFED (1500 AM)ASSOCIATED PRESSP atrice Bergeron scored two
more goals, and t he B oston B ruins
beat the Calgary flames, 4-3, on
friday night in Calgary for their
fifth consecutive win.
Bergeron has scored 2 1 times i n
32 games since he r eturned f rom a
lower-body injury Dec. 9. He is
tied with Washington’s Alex
ovechkin for the NHL’s second-
most goals over that span, behind
only Auston matthews of To ronto
with 25.
Brad marchand and Charlie
Coyle also scored for Boston
( 39-11-12), which opened a five-
point lead on Ta mpa Bay atop the
NHL’s overall standings. David
Pastrnak had two assists.
Earlier in the day, Boston freed
up salary cap space b y trading
veteran forward D avid B ackes, 3 5,
and a first-round draft pick to the
Anaheim Ducks for forward on-
drej Kase.
Anaheim also acquired 20 -
year-old prospect Axel A ndersson,
a defenseman, in the deal com-
pleted three days before t he NHL’s
trade d eadline.
l islanders 4, red
WinGs 1: I n Uniondale, N.Y., Jor-
dan Eberle had a hat trick and
New York beat Detroit t o snap a
four-game s kid.
It w as the t hird t hree-goal g ame
of Eberle’s career and his first
since April 9, 2017, when he was
with the Edmonton oilers.
S emyon Varlamov stopped
21 shots f or the victory.
l ranGers 5, HUrri-
canes 2 : mika Zibanejad had a
goal and two assists as N ew York
beat C arolina i n raleigh, N.C.
Artemi Panarin and ryan
Strome each had a goal and an
assist for the rangers, who w on
for the eighth time in 11 games and
have won seven straight road
games.N ew York swept the season se-
ries and has won 31 of its past
37 games against t he Hurricanes.
l BlUes 5, stars 1: David
Perron scored his team-leading
24 th goal, and visiting St. Louis
chased Dallas goalie Ben Bishop
early i n a d ominant v ictory.
Jake Allen stopped 18 shots in
the Blues’ third straight win and
Colton P arayko h ad a goal and two
assists.
l Wild 5, Oilers 3: Jared
Spurgeon scored three goals as
minnesota won in Edmonton.
Kevin fiala and Carson Soucy also
scored for the Wild. ryan Nugent-
Hopkins had two goals and an
assist for the oilers.
l BlackHaWks 2, preda-
tOrs 1 (Ot): Alex DeBrincat
scored in the third period and
overtime to rally Chicago past vis-
iting N ashville.
DeBrincat skated in alone from
center ice, then snapped off a shot
with 57.8 seconds left in the extra
period t hat beat Pekka rinne high
on the glove side for h is 16th goal.Blue Jackets lose Bjorkstrand
The Columbus Blue Jackets lost
top goal s corer oliver Bjorkstrand
for t he rest o f the s eason.
The 24-year-old forward frac-
tured an ankle i n Thursday n ight’s
loss to the Philadelphia flyers
when he s lid hard into the back
boards at t he e nd o f regulation.
l saBres: Buffalo placed sus-
pended defenseman Zach Bogo-
sian, 29, on unconditional waivers
with the intention of terminating
his contract. H e a sked to be traded
this season and spent the past
week refusing to report to Buffa-
lo’s A merican Hockey L eague affil-
iate in r ochester, N.Y.
l Jets: Winnipeg acquired
center Cody Eakin from Vegas for
a conditional f ourth-round pick in
202 1. If the Jets make the playoffs
or re-sign Eakin b y July 5 , they will
instead transfer their 2021 third-
round pick to the G olden Knights.
Eakin, 28, is eligible to become
an unrestricted free agent this
summer.nhl roundupBergeron scores twiceas Boston keeps rollingBruins 4,
FLAMEs 3Jonathan newton/the washington post
With the start of free agency three weeks away, l eft t ackle trent
Williams i s a critical piece of the redskins’ offseason plans.larry Macdougal/associated press
Boston’s patrice Bergeron, at center with Brad Marchand, has
scored 2 1 goals in his past 3 2 games since he returned from injury.