The 37-year-old former first-overall NHL draft pick of the Washington Capitals (2004) notched his 29th career hat trick en route to the Capitals’ 7-3 win on the road against the Chicago Blackhawks.
If three goals were not enough, “AO” became just the third player in the 105 year history of the National Hockey League to reach the 800 goal mark. Ovechkin is just one behind the legendary Gordie Howe for second all time.
The Russian is the greatest goal scorer in the history of the sport, despite still needing 94 to catch Wayne Gretzky. While Gretzky has more assists (1,963) than Jaromir Jagr has overall points (1,921) on the all-time list, his 894 goals were one of those records we never expected to see broken. Gretzky’s 2,857 overall points will be up there with the New York Islanders’ 19-consecutive playoff series wins, Cal Ripken’s ironman streak, and the Boston Celtics’ eight-consecutive NBA titles as marks you will never see eclipse in any of our lifetimes.
The hat trick also moved Ovechkin into sole possession of sixth on the all-time list, breaking him out of a tie with Marcel Dionne and Bobby Hull.
With Ovechkin, the best part about his chase of Gretzky is his loyalty to the Capitals’ franchise. Steve Yzerman (692) and Mario Lemieux (690) are the only other players in the top 10 in goals to do it all with one team. After them, you have to go way down to Mike Bossy (573) in 61st place to see it again.
Nine times in his career Ovechkin has eclipsed 50 goals (an NHL record), with 2007-08 being a career-high 65. This was also the first time in NHL history a player won the Art Ross (leading scorer), “Rocket” Richard (most goals), Lester Pearson (MVP as voted by the Player’s Association) and Hart Memorial (league MVP) Trophies in the same year.
When he won his lone Stanley Cup Championship in 2018, Ovechkin was the Conn Smythe Trophy winner after posting 15 goals and 27 points. Gretzky and Bossy are the only other players to eclipse 50 goals nine times, although Bossy’s nine were consecutive. Since the Richard Trophy was first awarded in 1999, Ovechkin has nine of them on his mantle. No one else has won the award more than twice.
In his native Russia, Ovechkin won the Gagarin Cup in 2013, which is the Kontinental Hockey League’s equivalent of the Stanley Cup. then still suited up in a lockout-shortened 48-game NHL season where he put up a league-high 32 goals. Ovechkin was also awarded the Order of Honour, which recognizes high achievements in multiple fields, including sports. Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevsky is the only other NHL player to hold the same distinction since the award was first presented in 1994.
Alex Ovechkin has recorded at least 30 goals in all but one of his 17 seasons, with the exception being the Covid-shortened 2020-21 year. The league shortened the regular season to 56 games, leaving Ovechkin at just 24 goals when games were canceled and the playoffs moved to the Canadian bubble cities.
We know the chase of “The Great Eight” to catch “The Great One” is more a matter of when, not if. The 2019-20 season was the only to date that Ovechkin has missed 10 or more games, due to either being a healthy scratch, or being injured. Gretzky was 33 years old when eclipsing 800 in 1994, while Howe was 11 days short of turning an astonishing 52 in 1980.
For Sidney Crosby, Steven Stamkos, and countless others fans wanted to see make a run at the record, no one would have expected Ovechkin to be the one to legitimately threaten Gretzky's mark. However, there is a certain center in Edmonton who may give some of these records a run for their money over the next decade. Connor MacDavid is already over 250 goals and 750 points, while not turning 26 until next month.
Congratulations Alex, and here is to at least 95 more to come.
-JC24