The Goals 🐐 has another NHL record and he remains as clutch as clutch can be.
While on a 2-on-1 break with Connor McMichael, Alex Ovechkin beat goaltender Alex Lyon with a snap shot shortside, giving the Washington Capitals a 2-0 lead over the Detroit Red Wings in a must-win game. The tally, which came with 8 seconds remaining in the second period, gave Ovechkin 30 goals on the season.
Ovechkin now has 18 (eighteen!) 30-goal seasons — a new NHL record. Ovechkin previously shared in the record with former Capital Mike Gartner, who had seventeen 30-goal seasons during his Hockey Hall of Fame career.
Gartner offered his congratulations in a pre-taped video posted by the Capitals.
“Hey, Ovi, it’s Mike Gartner,” he said. “I just wanted to congratulate you on 18 30+ goal seasons. I know we shared the record for a very brief time, and I’m pretty appreciative of that, but now you have it all by yourself. There are many records you have in the National Hockey League and there’s one big one that you’re still gonna get. Good luck. All the best. ”
Per Capitals PR, Ovechkin is also the sixth different player in NHL history to begin a season at age 38 or older and score 30 goals.
Players who began a season at age 38 or older and scored 30+ goals
| Player | Team | Season | Age | Games Played | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gordie Howe | DET | 1968-69 | 40 | 76 | 44 |
| Gordie Howe | DET | 1967-68 | 39 | 74 | 39 |
| Brett Hull | DET | 2002-03 | 38 | 82 | 37 |
| Johnny Bucyk | BOS | 1975-76 | 40 | 77 | 36 |
| Teemu Selanne | ANA | 2010-11 | 40 | 73 | 31 |
| Johnny Bucyk | BOS | 1973-74 | 38 | 76 | 31 |
| Gordie Howe | DET | 1969-70 | 41 | 76 | 31 |
| Martin St. Louis | NYR, TBL | 2013-14 | 38 | 81 | 30 |
| Alex Ovechkin | WSH | 2023-24 | 38 | 75 | 30 |
The goal was Ovechkin’s 852nd goal of his career, putting him 42 behind Wayne Gretzky for a share of the NHL’s all-time goals record. It’s also the third goal Ovechkin has scored on Alex Lyon in his career.
Ovechkin’s second half of the season has been hard to fathom. The Capitals captain scored eight goals in his first 43 games (0.19 G/GP). Since then, he’s notched 22 goals in his last 32 games (0.69 G/GP).
