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Capitals' Alex Ovechkin Should Already Own Goals Record?

Had it not been for outside factors, Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin would already hold the NHL goals record.

Nick Horwat

Apr 5, 2024; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) takes a shot against the Carolina Hurricanes during the second period at PNC Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 5, 2024; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) takes a shot against the Carolina Hurricanes during the second period at PNC Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports / James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
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Alex Ovechkin is getting ready to enter his 20th season in the NHL and hopes he and the Washington Capitals can build on the surprise playoff appearance in 2024. While the Capitals are chasing down another Stanley Cup, Ovechkin is also on the verge of breaking what was thought to be one of the sport’s unbreakable records.

After 19 years in the NHL, Ovechkin is just 42 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record of 894 career tallies. If things go well, Ovechkin could easily secure the record by the end of the 2024-25 season.

While the record will likely be his one day, Ovechkin believes he should already be the NHL’s all-time leading scorer. Ovechkin told Amiran Sardarov on his podcast that the NHL’s lockouts and the COVID shutdown added some roadblocks.

“If there had been no lockout and no pandemic, I think Gretzky's record would have been broken by now,” Ovechkin said on the Russian podcast. “But, unfortunately, such moments happen.”

Ovechkin was drafted first overall by the Capitals in 2004, and at 19, he was already good enough to play in the NHL. However, a lockout forced the NHL to cancel the entire 2004-05 season, robbing Ovechkin of his first year in the league.

In 2005-06, Ovechkin scored 52 goals as a rookie and won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s rookie of the year. Things were going smoothly, and Ovechkin was scoring at a clip not seen since the days of Gretzky.

Then, in 2012, the NHL faced another lockout, forcing a shortened 48-game season. Ovechkin led the league with 32 goals in 48 games.

In six of the next seven seasons, Ovechkin led the NHL in goals, scoring 367 between 2012 and the next stoppage in play.

As the playoff race was heating up for the 2019-20 season, the spread of COVID-19 put the world on pause. The NHL ended their season with most teams missing out on about 13 games. Ovechkin had already scored 48 goals in 68 games when the regular season was cut short.

The following 2020-21 season was shortened to 56 games due to restrictions imposed by the pandemic. In 45 games played that season, Ovechkin scored 24 goals.

Ovechkin has been known as one of the sturdiest players in the league, thanks to rarely facing injuries or missing games. It’s been forced stoppages that account for most of Ovechkin’s missed time.

Since being drafted, outside factors have taken 155 games away from Ovechkin. His whole first season, 34 from the 2012 lockout, 13 from the COVID shutdown, and 26 from the following season.

It’s safe to assume Ovechkin would have scored 42 goals had those seasons been completed or played at all. Throughout his career, he has worked his way to .6 goals per game.

If he played those 155 missed games, the law of averages suggests Ovechkin would have 93 more goals to his career total, already crushing Gretzky’s record.

Even with the obstacles, Ovechkin will go down as the greatest goal scorer the game has ever seen. With two years left on his current contract, it’s hard to imagine he will retire anywhere behind Gretzky’s 894.

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Nick Horwat

NICK HORWAT

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