St. Louis won the Stanley Cup in 2004 as a Hall of Fame-bound forward with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He has fond memories of his boyhood, watching the Canadiens bring the city to life in the playoffs; it was the only time he was allowed to stay up past his usual bedtime to watch televised games.

If the answer is “no,” that’s OK. Montreal nearly backed its way into the playoffs and the Washington Capitals hit a rough patch of their own. Still, this matchup brings a whole bunch of juice — the most prolific goal scorer of all time, the East’s top team and the return of postseason hockey to one of the sport’s true epicenters.

Two weeks since Alex Ovechkin became the NHL's all-time leading goal scorer, he and the Washington Capitals turn their attention to their next challenge as they open the playoffs against the Montreal Canadiens.