Alex Ovechkin has now solidified himself in the history books in a very elite list of Hall of Fame players.
Wayne Gretzky, Mike Bossy, Jari Kurri and Mike Gartner stood alone as the only 4 players in NHL History to score 30 or more goals in their first 10 NHL seasons. On Sunday, Ovechkin took his place among these greats and currently has an opportunity to, barring injury or lockout or just bad play, to break Mike Gartner's record of 15 straight 30 goal seasons.
Gartner himself was a victim of a lockout. In the 1994-95 season, Gartner could only muster 12 goals in 38 games for the Toronto Maple Leafs, ending his consecutive streak at 15. However, the next two seasons saw Gartner, who still holds the record as fastest skater in the league, score 35 for the Maple Leafs in 95-96, and 32 for the Phoenix Coyotes the following year. His streak could have easily have been 18 straight years, which is mind boggling.
Mike Gartner was one of my sports heroes growing up. I got to watch him play for the Washington Capitals and met him many times off the ice. He was exactly what a celebrity athlete was supposed to be in that era, and he's one of the reasons why I started playing hockey in the first place.
But anyway...
Ovechkin has played 729 NHL games (where does the time go?). He has 453 goals and 409 assists for for 862 points. 165 career PP goals. 4 SHG. 75 GWG. All on 3,683 SOG.
Not bad, considering all the changes in Washington over the years.
Ovechkin had to endure a lock out shortened season in 2012-13, and was limited to only 48 games but still amassed 32 goals.
And even though these don't count towards regular season stats, his playoff performance is something worth mentioning. In 58 NHL playoff games, Ovechkin has 31 goals, 30 assists for 61 points. A +9 rating. 9 PPG and 5 GWG. While no one will ever give him credit for his playoff performance until he wins a Cup, Ovechkin is still pretty damn lethal come the post season.
Ovechkin is certainly set for his place among the greats in the Hockey Hall of Fame, however for the majority of his career he has been plagued with the idea that people regard him as a selfish and one-dimensional player. Ovechkin is a goal scorer, and a damn good one. He was never meant to block shots and win a Selke. He plays hard every game and his compete level is right up there with the greats, especially on this list. He may never win a Cup or even another accolade in his NHL career, but he'll always be considered one of the greatest goal scorers in the history of the league and the history of hockey.
Of the other four names on this short list, only three won Stanley Cups during an era of run-and-gun, barn-burning hockey. Those three players were on dynasties built to win in a different time.
Only Mike Gartner, the all-time leader in consecutive 30-goal campaigns never won a Stanley Cup, yet he is revered as one of the most electric players to ever play the game, and he is also one of the most respected players in the history of the NHL.
If Ovechkin never wins a Cup, he should feel pretty damn proud to have a seat next to Gartner in the Hall.
More to come...
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