Alex Ovechkin's All-Time Goals Record By the Numbers

Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin shattered the NHL goal-scoring record and did so with a series of impressive statistics.

Apr 6, 2025; Elmont, New York, USA; Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) is honored with a painting by artist Tony Harris by former Canadian-American ice hockey player Wayne Gretzky after scoring in the during the second period against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena. Ovechkin scored the 895th goal of his career, breaking the NHL all-time career goals record previously held by Wayne Gretzky at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin is the new all-time goal-scoring leader in the NHL. 20 years of being the premier sniper in the league has led to him surpassing the greatest player in NHL history, Wayne Gretzky, for the top spot. It's been a wild ride, so let's dive into some numbers that have marked Ovi's historic pursuit.

1,487

It took Ovechkin 1,487 games to break the record held by The Great One. Coincidentally, Gretzky finished his career with 1,487 gamas played. He went scoreless over his final nine NHL games, but it's an incredible coincidence that Ovi hit the mark in the same number of career games as the player he passed.

895

Ovi's 895th is the new record setting goal to beat, until he scores his 896th.

279

Center Nicklas Backstrom was Ovi's right-hand man in Washington for a decade and a half, playing over 1,000 games together. They combined for magic on the same line and were crucial in bringing a Stanley Cup to DC.

Over their time playing together, Backstrom fed Ovi with regularity and collected the most assists on his goals of any Washington player in his career. The duo combined for 279 goals together.

65

The best season output Ovi ever recorded was a 65-goal campaign in 2007-2008, the same and only year he led the entire league in scoring.

48 & 46

Jeff Halpern and Dainus Zubrus assisted on Ovi's first goal in 2005. Halpern last played in the NHL in 2014, and Zubrus during the 2015-2016 campaign.

33

Ovechkin's recorded an astounding 33 hat tricks in his career. The first one came on January 13, 2006 against the Anaheim Ducks. The latest one came on February 23, 2025 against the Edmonton Oilers.

31 & 28

Tom Wilson and Dylan Strome assisted on the record-setting goal for Ovechkin. The 31-year-old Wilson's been with the Caps his entire career, and 28-year-old Dylan Strome has been a huge addition to the team over the past few seasons. When Ovi recorded his first goal in the NHL, Wilson was 11 and Strome was nine years old.

24

The worst offensive season of Ovechkin's career was a 24-goal season during the 2020-2021 campaign. It wasn't due to his lack of scoring abilities but rather the shortened season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, he managed those 24 goals in just 46 games played.

20

Ovi's recorded 20 seasons of 20 goals or more. The most in NHL history.

19

The number of times Ovechkin's reached or exceeded the 30-goal mark, also the most in NHL history.

13.1

Ovi's career shooting percentage of 13.1% is lower than that of legendary scorers like Gretzky (17.6%), Brett Hull (15.2%), and Jaromir Jagr (13.6%). What does that mean? One, it's a credit to the goaltending of the modern era. Two, it's a sign of Ovi's motto: fire that puck heavy and often.

9

Ovi's produced nine 50-goal seasons, which is tied with Gretzky and Islanders' great Mike Bossy for most in league history. It's also the number of Rocket Richard Trophies he's collected in his career.

3

He's won three Hart Trophies as the league MVP and has been awarded the Ted Lindsay Award as the league's most outstanding player thrice, as voted by his peers.

1

Ovechkin's earned one Art Ross, Stanley Cup, and Conn Smythe over the last 20 years. It's also where the greatest goal scorer in NHL history now sits at the all-time scoring list.

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