Not on an Empty Net | Rabbi Moshe Walter

We live in Silver Spring, Maryland, less than eight miles from the heart of Washington, D.C., the National Mall, the monuments, the White House, and Capital One Arena, the home of the NHL’s Washington Capitals. Hockey’s a pretty big deal around here, in Greater Washington. An even bigger deal is the all-star Capitals player Alex Ovechkin, the best player in the NHL. Well, growing up, we knew hockey from Wayne Gretzky, the Great One, and nobody ever thought that his 894 all-time goals would ever be surpassed. But as Ovechkin’s career got stronger and better and greater, he started to get closer and closer to Gretzky’s lead. And roughly a year and a half ago, April 4th, 2025, Friday night, Washington Capitals Arena, everybody understood that this could be it, this could be the night. Friends, family of Ovechkin came. Gretzky was there to see if he would pull off a hat trick. 20,000 fans packed the arena. And shortly into the game, Ovechkin scores his first goal. The place was going crazy. One shy from tying Gretzky at 894, two shy of surpassing Gretzky. Ovechkin scores goal 894, the place is on their feet. Everybody’s going wild. All he needs is one more goal, and then the unthinkable happens. The opposing team, the Chicago Blackhawks, pull their goalie. It’s a hockey move to get another player on the ice, but makes it much, much easier for the opposing team, for Ovechkin to score a goal, because there’s no goalie at the net. Ovechkin’s on the bench and his coach tells him to get in. Ovechkin makes a sign, says: No, no, I’m not going in. Again, his coach tells him, Go in, go in. You have it made. Ovechkin says: No. The entire time the goalie is not on the ice, Ovechkin doesn’t go in. The goalie comes back on and Ovechkin gets back on the ice. And the game comes to an end. Ovechkin doesn’t score and he only gets his 894th goal, tying Gretzky, and he has to wait a few more nights to be able to get 895. After the game, a press conference is held, and Gretzky and Ovechkin are together, and the million-dollar question is asked, Why didn’t you go on the ice? Why didn’t you score? Listen to what Ovechkin said. He says: I know that for the rest of my life, and maybe forever, everybody’s going to watch to see how this 895th goal is going to be scored. I didn’t want it to be a freebie. I didn’t want it to be without a goalie in the crease. I didn’t want it to be without defenders. I wanted to skate past people. I wanted to shoot and score a difficult goal. That’s how I want to be remembered. A real difficult score. You know, sometimes we walk out of our houses, we go for a walk, we just want to pick up a cup of coffee, we’re on a TSA line, or just going shopping, and all of a sudden, I’m bombarded by pictures, posters, billboards, people, I can’t look to the right, to the left, up and down, wherever I go, the Shmiras Einayim is so difficult. Why can’t it just be easy? So the answer is, there’s also a videotape being played for the rest of our life. And they’re going to be watching in Shomayim, How did I handle the street? How did I handle my walk? How did I handle a difficult line, when there are things that I shouldn’t be seeing? Well, if it’s easy, nobody’s going to look. It’s boring. I didn’t get much accomplished. But when it’s hard, when there are defenders along the way, and the Yetzer Hara is attacking, there are goalies everywhere defending and trying not to allow me to survive and not allow me to even do the most simplest thing, it’s going to be very, very exciting. The Heavenly entourage, the myriads of angels above, the entire Heavenly host are going to be watching in disbelief. They’re going to be applauding and clapping. So to speak, Hakadosh Baruch Hu is going to stand up and say, Wow! Israel, in whom I take pride. How did you do that? You’re greater than Gretzky. You’re greater than Ovechkin. You are amazing. You can do it. God willing, continue to succeed and continue on the path of success and victory. You won.