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Alex Ovechkin set to become 66th player in NHL history to play in 1,300 games

By Ian Oland

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December 3, 2022 3:44 pm

Alex Ovechkin will hit another incredible milestone as soon as the puck is dropped at the Scotiabank Saddledome for the Capitals-Flames game on Hockey Night In Canada.

Ovechkin, who recently became the NHL’s all-time Road Goals record holder, will become the 66th player in NHL history to play 1,300 games. He will also be the first Capitals player ever to play in that many games for the franchise.

Ovechkin reached this milestone by not only being the greatest goal-scorer of all time but by also being one of the most durable players in NHL history.

Per Capitals PR:

Ovechkin has played in 1,299 of the Capitals’ 1,346 games (96.5%) since entering the League in 2005-06. That’s the sixth-highest percentage of games played in NHL history among skaters that have played with one team at their respective 1,300-game marks.

I feel like there’s a four-word phrase that could sum this up, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. 🤔

“I remember my first year, obviously my first game, and right now it’s 1300,” Ovechkin said pregame. “Times fly and how my old teammates said, you have enjoy every second and every moment. I’m still enjoying it so it’s good.”

A few other fun factoids from the Caps:

  • Ovechkin will be the 14th player in NHL history to play 1,300 games with one franchise
  • Ovechkin will be the second first overall pick to play in 1,300 games with the team that drafted them, joining Mike Modano (first overall pick in 1988) who played in 1,459 games with the Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars.
  • Ovechkin’s 793 career goals are the second most by a player at the time of their 1,300th game, behind only Wayne Gretzky (853 goals in 1,300 games).
  • Ovechkin’s 1,435 career points are the ninth most in NHL history by a player at the time of their 1,300th game

Most points at Game 1300

Table via Capitals PR/NHL Stats

Ovechkin will also become the 13th player to ever suit up for the Capitals at any time to hit the 1,300 game mark. The other players who played part of their careers in Washington include Jaromir Jagr (1,733), Zdeno Chara (1,680), Scott Stevens (1,635), Larry Murphy (1,615), Phil Housley (1,495), Mike Gartner (1,432), Dale Hunter (1,407), Roman Hamrlik (1,395), Doug Mohns (1,391), Trevor Linden (1,382), Adam Oates (1,337), and Sergei Gonchar (1,301).

Jagr, notably, ranks fourth in the Most Games Played list behind only Patrick Marleau (1,779), Gordie Howe (1,767), and Mark Messier (1,756).

The next games played record on the horizon is the Russian-born record. Only Alex Kovalev has played more with 1,316.

“Those players who have past already, obviously the big names, the great players, but be number one Russian-born player to play in NHL is pretty cool,” Ovechkin said. “Stats is gonna be for a long time.”

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