On April 6, Alexander Ovechkin became the #1 goal-scorer of all time in the NHL. In their game against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena, the Washington Capitals’ captain scored his goal #895, officially overtaking Wayne Gretzky in terms of career goals scored. The moment not only echoed among hockey fans around the country and world, but also solidified Ovechkin as one of the greatest hockey players ever.
After been drafted #1 overall in the 2004 NHL Draft, Ovechkin quickly sprang into action, winning the Calder Memorial Trophy as the best rookie in his debut 2005-06 season. The success continued, with the player remarkably scoring 100+ points in four of his first five seasons. On Jan. 5, 2010, he was named the Capitals’ captain.
From then on, despite a slight decrease in total points per season after the initial first five years, Ovechkin’s consistency never ceased. From early on, the forward quickly became known particularly for his deadly slap shot. Goalies and defensemen alike began discovering, whether by word-of-mouth or through firsthand experience, the monstrous force that Ovechkin somehow summoned each time that little, black puck ended up before his stick. Shot after shot turned into goal after goal, and before long, Ovechkin was breaking records left and right.
And, as the player evolved and bettered, so did his team. In 2008, the Caps drafted the gifted defenseman John Carlson, which was then followed up by the 2010 selection of Ovechkin’s fellow Russian-born Evgeny Kuznetsov. From there, everything only accelerated. In 2014, legendary head coach Barry Trotz hopped aboard the Washington train; in 2015 TJ Oshie of the St. Louis Blues was acquired.
Now, for most any other player, at this point, they would slowly begin to lose steam; age would catch up with them, retirement would come just barely into view on the horizon, and the player would gradually begin to wind down. Well, for Ovechkin, the exact opposite happened. By 2013-14, what had been, over the previous three years, a steady 30-goals-a-season performance year-after-year rose to—and this isn’t a joke—50. 50. goals. per. season. Fans and critics alike were in utter disbelief.
Still, the team wasn’t quite getting where it needed to go. Despite being first overall in the league standings in two of the next three years, Washington only made it past the first playoff round each time. Finally, in 2017-18, what started off as a very slow season ended with an impressive sixth-place regular season finish. Then, came the playoffs.
After brushing past the Blue Jackets and Penguins (the Ovechkin/Crosby rivalry was but a cherry on top of the pie) in an exciting first two rounds, the Capitals managed to defeat the Lightning in an incredibly close Round Three. But now the real challenge began. It was the Capitals vs. the first-year Vegas Golden Knights. The seasoned experts vs. the young wunderkinds, so to speak.
In the end, after an exhilarating five games, the Capitals emerged victorious. It was truly one of the most thrilling finals ever, and included one of the greatest last-minute playoff saves of all time by the Capitals’ Holtby (watching it now, Doc Emrick’s electric background voice really does take you back to those hockey days of yore). For Ovechkin, the Cup was what he had been chasing all his life. And yet, it didn’t slow his stamina even a bit.
Post-2018, the Caps’ captain kept playing, leading, scoring, winning. And last week, as if anyone was doubting his abilities, Ovechkin once more defied gravity, breaking the all-time goalscoring record previously set by Gretzky himself. The NHL season ends in a couple days, and Ovechkin, at the veteran age of 39 has 43 goals under his belt this year. At this point, all hockey fans are left with is to marvel bewilderedly, and perhaps mutter under their breaths when no one is looking: “is there anything this guy can’t do?”
