Powered by consistency, durability, and the sheer randomness of when his career started, Alex Ovechkin managed a feat no other player in NHL history has accomplished on Sunday.
After notching his 32nd career hat trick against the Edmonton Oilers and scoring career goals 880, 881, and 882, Ovechkin became the first player ever to score 200 goals in three different decades. The tallies were goals 198, 199, and 200 the Capitals captain has scored in the 2020s.
ESPN’s Arda Öcal tweeted out the factoid, citing ESPN Stats and Info.
Ovechkin scored 245 goals in the 2000s (October 5, 2005 through December 31, 2009); 437 goals in the 2010s (January 1, 2010 through December 31, 2019); and 200 goals in the 2020s (January 1, 2020 through Sunday, February 23, 2025) per Öcal.
And Ovechkin would have likely gotten to this record much earlier without the coronavirus pandemic, which wreaked havoc on the 2020-21 season and limited the schedule to 56 games.
During the three decades, Ovechkin has shown remarkable consistency in scoring as judged by goals per game. In his age 35 through 39 seasons, Ovechkin is producing slightly more goals per game than when he was 25 through 34.
| Decade | Goals | Games | Goals Per Game |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 245 | 356 | 0.688 |
| 2010s | 437 | 769 | 0.568 |
| 2020s | 200 | 342 | 0.584 |
During all three decades, Ovechkin has taken home NHL hardware, though most of it came earlier in his career.
NHL trophies 2000s decade (8)
- Calder Trophy (2006)
- Art Ross Trophy (2008)
- Hart Trophy (2008 & 2009)
- Rocket Richard Trophy (2008 & 2009)
- Ted Lindsay Award (2008 & 2009)
NHL trophies 2010s decade (10)
- Stanley Cup (2018)
- Conn Smythe Trophy (2018)
- Hart Trophy (2013)
- Rocket Richard Trophy (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, & 2019)
- Ted Lindsay Award (2010)
NHL trophies 2010s decade (1)
- Rocket Richard Trophy (2020)
