Alex Ovechkin has hit many milestones in his career, but there’s one more on his personal list he really wants to hit — other than the NHL goals record.
Speaking in Russian during a Russian-language interview on Podcasts with Amiran Sardarov and then transcribed by sports.ru, Ovechkin talked about what he wanted to accomplish in his remaining time in the NHL.
“I want to play 1,500 games in the NHL,” Ovechkin told Sardarov and via a translation by Google Translate. “I don’t remember how many I have now. I can get there in two seasons. I already have the most games among Russian players in the NHL. I think that’s a great achievement. And this is for one club – only I and [Evgeni Malkin] have that.”
Ovechkin has played 1,426 games in the NHL while Malkin has suited up for 1,145.
Top 10 NHL games played by a Russian
| Player | Games Played |
|---|---|
| Alex Ovechkin (WSH) | 1,426 |
| Alex Kovalev (NYR, PIT, MTL, OTT, FLA) | 1,316 |
| Sergei Gonchar (WSH, BOS, PIT, OTT, DAL, MTL) | 1,301 |
| Sergei Fedorov (DET, ANA, CBJ, WSH) | 1,248 |
| Vyacheslav Kozlov (DET, BUF, ATL) | 1,182 |
| Evgeni Malkin (PIT) | 1,145 |
| Alexei Zhitnik (LAK, BUF, NYI, PHI, ATL) | 1,085 |
| Sergei Zubov (NYR, PIT, DAL) | 1,068 |
| Alexander Mogilny (BUF, VAN, NJD, TOR) | 990 |
| Andrei Markov (MTL) | 990 |
Ovechkin would hit the 1,500 games-played mark if he plays in 74 of 82 games next year. He has averaged 76 games played over the last three seasons.
Once he hits 1,500 games in the league, Ovechkin will become just the 22nd player in NHL history to do so and be only the fourth European skater to achieve the milestone, joining Jaromir Jagr (1,733), Zdeno Chara (1,680), and Nicklas Lidstrom (1,564).
If Ovechkin stays healthy during the final two seasons of his contract, he’ll break into the top 15 of games played all-time. Jarome Iginla currently sits in the 15th spot with 1,554 games played. Ovechkin would need to play in 128 of 164 games over the next two years to tie the Hockey Hall of Famer.
Patrick Marleau is the all-time leader in the category, playing 1,779 games over a 23-season career.
