Alex Ovechkin moved past Phil Esposito on Tuesday to become the sixth greatest goal-scorer in NHL history. Ovechkin’s 718th goal put him 176 goals behind Wayne Gretzky’s all-time mark of 894.
On Thursday, the NHL showed how Ovechkin stacked up to Gretzky with a dynamic line graph which compared the two greats’ goal-scoring per season by age.
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At age 35, Alex Ovechkin (@ovi8) is still putting up monster numbers.
How does his pace stack up against the legends of the NHL? pic.twitter.com/IoDUsxPm7i
— NHL (@NHL) March 18, 2021
As you can see, Gretzky’s historic output came during his 20’s and it gave him a huge lead. But Ovechkin’s unprecedented goal-scoring in his 30s is what is allowing The Great 8 to catch up.
The NHL also did the same graph but included the two other greatest goal-scorers in NHL history: Gordie Howe and Jaromir Jagr, whose longevity in the league is notable.
— NHL (@NHL) March 18, 2021
The NHL also did the line graphs for career goals.
— NHL (@NHL) March 18, 2021
If the 35-year-old Ovechkin plays five more seasons, he would need to need average around 35 goals per season to catch Gretzky’s mark. Gretzky became more of a playmaker than a goal-scorer in the twilight of his career, averaging 18 goals per season during his final five years in the NHL from ages 34-38.
Screenshot courtesy of the @NHL
