Alex Ovechkin wrote himself onto a fresh page of the NHL record books Wednesday when he became the first player in league history to score 900 career goals.
The 40-year-old winger’s goal total is already unprecedented, but it becomes even more remarkable when compared to other scoring benchmarks.
For example, less than two percent (1.66 to be exact) of NHL players all-time have recorded as many points as Ovechkin has scored goals in their careers. That’s just 130 skaters out of 7,819 who have touched NHL ice.
Ovechkin has logged 1,633 points (900g, 733a) in 1,505 career games, good for 11th-most all-time and counting. If he never helped a teammate light the lamp, his own goal total alone would leave him in a tie for 130th all-time with former Chicago Blackhawks winger Tony Amonte.
To put Ovechkin’s greatness further into perspective, here are a few more stats for you to chew on.
Alex Ovechkin would have the second most points in Capitals franchise history even without any of his assists.
Even amongst the annals of Washington Capitals history, Ovechkin would sit second in franchise history for career points on goals alone. He’d sit eight points clear of Peter Bondra (892) and trail only his beloved former teammate Nicklas Backstrom (1,033).
| Player | Points | Games |
|---|---|---|
| Nicklas Backstrom | 1,033 | 1,105 |
| Alex Ovechkin | 900 | 1,504 |
| Peter Bondra | 892 | 961 |
| Mike Gartner | 789 | 758 |
| John Carlson | 736 | 1,102 |
| Michal Pivonka | 599 | 825 |
| Evgeny Kuznetsov | 568 | 723 |
| Dale Hunter | 556 | 872 |
| Bengt Gustafsson | 554 | 629 |
| Mike Ridley | 547 | 588 |
Ovechkin has scored more goals than over 92 percent of NHL players have played games individually in their careers.
Ovechkin played in his milestone 1,500th career game on Oct. 25, becoming just the 24th player in league history to do so. Defenseman Brent Burns (1,511) is the only active player ahead of him in 23rd place.
The Capitals captain’s 900 career goals would equal the total career games of two other players (Bobby Nystrom and Rob Ray) at 574th all-time. That means only 7.3 percent of all players in league history have played in more games than Ovechkin has scored goals.
Only six players in Capitals history have played in more games than Ovechkin has scored goals – Ovechkin included. Among active Caps, his 900 goals trail only himself and defenseman John Carlson (1,102 games) when inserted into that category.
Only 20 skaters in NHL history have more assists than Ovechkin has goals.
Ovechkin has 167 more goals than he does assists but even so, his red light total would qualify for 21st on the all-time assists leaders list. Hall of Famer Bryan Trottier would sit just ahead of him with 901 helpers.
That means Ovechkin would sit in the top quarter-percent (0.25%) of NHL skaters all-time in that category.
Only 17 left wingers in NHL history have more points than Ovechkin has goals.
Ovechkin, of course, leads his position in all-time points by a wide margin. The next closest (Luc Robitaille) is 239 points behind.
However, when his assists are subtracted, his 900 goals would still keep him in the Top 20. There are just 17 left wingers all-time with more points.
In fact, there are only two active left wingers with more points than Ovechkin has goals – Brad Marchand (995) and Jamie Benn (956).
Only 15 active skaters have more points than Ovechkin has goals.
Ovechkin currently sits second among active NHL players in points. He trails only long-time rival Sidney Crosby (1,706 points), who is currently ninth on the all-time list and climbing.
However, The Great Eight’s 900 goals on their own would place Ovechkin 16th among all active NHL skaters in points.
So what if Alex Ovechkin doesn’t retire and chases 1,000 goals?
“It’s hard to believe he has 900 goals,” Craig Laughlin said during the Monumental Sports Network broadcast on Wednesday. “Now we want 1,000, Ovi. That’s what we want!”
Ovechkin is currently in the final year of his contract with the Capitals and his decision on a potential retirement from the NHL looms at the end of his 21st season. He’s not clued anyone on which way he’s currently leaning.
But if he returns for year 22 or more, adding another 100 red lights to The Great Eight’s career tally and continuing to omit his assists would boost him to 102nd all-time in points ahead of Jason Spezza (995) and behind Brian Propp (1,004). He’d still trail Backstrom by 33 points in the Caps’ record book, which is a testament to the Swede’s injury-shortened career.
Re-adding Ovechkin’s 731 assists to a potential 1,000-goal total would move him up to eighth in all-time points behind Hockey Hall of Famer Steve Yzerman (1,755).
