This article originally appeared on VICE Sports Canada.
Alex Ovechkin continues to solidify himself as one of the best offensive talents in NHL history. You’d be mistaken if you thought he was just a goal scorer, though.
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Ovechkin has won the Rocket Richard Trophy as the NHL’s top goal scorer six times in his career (including the last four seasons), so it’s only fitting that his 1,000th point and 545th goal thrusted him ahead of Maurice Rocket Richard on the all-time goals list. It’s maybe more fitting that Ovi hit the elusive milestones against the Pittsburgh Penguins and Sidney Crosby—the Capitals’ most bitter rivals and Ovechkin’s counterpart in the greatest-of-the-era conversation.
Ovechkin wasted no time reaching the milestone, sniping one past Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury 35 seconds into the game, before adding his second of the contest a period later on a vintage Ovi blast.
An ultra-rare combination of pure talent, physically and durability has allowed Ovechkin to dominate in multiple ways with numerous facets of his game. If a mad hockey-scientist were to create a clone of the ideal skill sets needed to dominate the NHL game, the desired results would be to create something as close to Ovechkin as possible. Luckily for us, we don’t need that advanced science to enjoy his greatness, we just need to tune in.
He can simply score goals, and many of his numbers are simply insane. Already the highest-scoring Russian hockey player ever, Ovechkin became the 85th player in NHL history and the second-fastest active player to reach 1,000 points (the ageless Jaromir Jagr beat him to it). He’s the only player in the league to score 20 goals in each of the past 12 seasons, and has posted 111 multi-goal games (the most in the NHL), according to the Washington Post. There’s 84 players in league history who have reached the 1,000-point mark—Hall of Famer Brett Hull is the only to score more goals than Ovi when he reached the milestone. Ovechkin’s on pace to put up 42 this season, which, incredibly enough, would be the third-lowest total in a full NHL season of his career.
His furious offensive output over the past decade-plus leaves no doubt that he’s one of best pure goal scorers and point producers to ever play the game. On top of once-in-a-lifetime scoring ability, Ovechkin brings a physicality and straight up belligerence that sets him apart from other legends.
Thunderous open ice hits have become the norm with Ovechkin, often aww-ing people with the use of his heavy shoulders as much as he does with his soft hands. At 6’3″ and hovering around 240 pounds, this Russian freight train has recorded over 2000 hits (separating body from puck) over his career and is showing no signs of letting up on the physicality as he ages. The last three seasons, Ovechkin has recorded 200-plus hits including a career-high 259 in 2014-15, a season in which he also put up 53 goals.
The ability to create space for himself with his physicality is something we’ve rarely seen from someone with that much talent, but what’s most impressive is his durability and ability to stay healthy despite the seemingly reckless way in which he plays the game. Of his 12 NHL seasons since 2005, Ovechkin has never played fewer than 72 games and has only missed 28 total over his career. This season, despite being projected to finish with more than 40 goals and close to 200 hits once again, Ovi is on pace to suit up in all 82 games for the third time in his career. The 31-year-old has averaged 21:10 of ice time over 880 career games while never missing extended time due to an injury.
With a unicorn-like combination of skill and power, it’s been a pleasure to watch the great No. 8 dominate the way he does. Unlike other great careers cut short before him, it’s been great to see him stay healthy, too.
[NBC]
