Alex Ovechkin scored his 50th goal of the 2021-22 season in Vegas on Wednesday. It was the ninth time he has scored 50 goals in a season, the joint-most in NHL history with Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy.
Back in 2013, however, ten days into the lockout-shortened season current Ottawa Senators executive and then NHL on NBC analyst, Pierre McGuire said Ovi would never score 50 goals in a season again.
Pierre McGuire, asked if he thinks Ovechkin is capable of ever scoring 50 goals in a season again: "No. I do not." (cc @ngreenberg)
— Dan Steinberg (@dcsportsbog) January 29, 2013
Before that 2012-13 season, Ovi had gone two seasons in a row without even scoring 40 as the Caps turned to a more defensive, trap system under both Bruce Boudreau and Dale Hunter due to successive playoff failures. Safe to say things have changed since.
The Great Eight would then score 32 goals in just 48 games in the shortened season (a 54-goal, 82-game pace) and win the Hart Trophy for league MVP for the third time in his career. He would also tally at least 50 goals in the next three full seasons, once again in 2018-19, and now this year.
Make it 9⃣ career 50-goal seasons for the Great 8⃣. Historic.#NHLStats: https://t.co/fYIO9MELOB pic.twitter.com/WF6T8WWrcL
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) April 21, 2022
At 36-years-old, Ovi became the oldest player in NHL history to score 50 goals in a season. A record held by John Bucyk (age 35) for over 50 years (1970-71) prior.
Headline photo: Cara Bahniuk/RMNB
