As 2018 rolls along 32-year old Alex Ovechkin is on the heels of a feat that no Russian-born hockey player has accomplished in NHL history: scoring 600 goals. The Great 8 leads the NHL with 32 goals in 51 games this season, and currently sits at 590 goals in his career (972 games) and just 10 goals shy of reaching 600 goals. There's no question that Ovie has been the NHL's best goal scorer since he made his debut in 2005/06, but as he climbs up the ranks of the all-time goal leaders one only wonders if he's among the best goal scorers to ever play in the NHL? In this latest installment of the Forman Files I'll go in depth of the illustrious career of Alexander Ovechkin so far, where he could end up on the all-time goal list and how he stacks up with some of the best goal scorers to ever lace up a pair of skates.
Career Statistics:
As mentioned above, the 32-year old Ovechkin currently leads the NHL with 32 goals this season, marking the 13th consecutive season in which he has scored 30 goals. That puts him in some very elite company, joining Mike Gartner (17 seasons) and Wayne Gretzky (13 seasons) as the only players to score 30 goals in their first 13 NHL seasons. In fact since Alex Ovechkin came into the league in 2005/06 he leads the NHL with 590 goals, which is a staggering 191 goals better than the next closest player (Sidney Crosby - 399 goals).
If Ovechkin keeps his pace he's well on his way to his 8th career 50-goal season, as only Mike Bossy (9 seasons) and Wayne Gretzky (9 seasons) have more 50-goal seasons than him currently. At age 32, he would be just the 5th player in NHL history at 32 or older to score 50 goals in a season, joining Johnny Bucyk, Bobby Hull, Phil Esposito and Jaromir Jagr. Ovechkin already has an NHL record 22 OT goals in his career, and currently sits 10th all-time with 100 game-winning goals (35 back of Jaromir Jagr forst most all-time). He also currently sits 10th all-time in powerplay goals with 221, just 53 goals shy of Dave Andreychuk (274) for the NHL record. Lastly, with his 590 goals in 972 games, Ovechkin sits 6th all-time with 0.607 goals per game.
What does the future hold for Ovechkin?
At the start of the 2018/19 season, Ovechkin will be 33 years old and have 3 years left on his 13-year, $124 million deal he signed in 2008. Don't let his age fool you though, he has shown no signs of slowing down and could very well play into his 40s. This sets the stage for Ovechkin to climb the ranks of the all-time goal scoring leaders, as his 590 goals are already good for 20th all-time (if Ovechkin scores 21 more goals this season he will move up to 17th). He's currently on pace for 52 goals this season, which would put him at 610 in his career to start next season.
Assuming Ovechkin plays until he is 40, if he scored an average of 30 goals over his next 7 seasons that would put him at 820 goals (2nd all-time to Gretzky). Knowing Ovechkin he wants to be the best of all time and if he defies age and continues to score into his late 30s, an average of 40 goals a season over his next 7 seasons would put him at 890 goals (just 4 goals shy of Gretzky). Time will certainly tell, but there's no question that Ovechkin is one of the best goal scorers to ever play in the NHL and he continues to move up the all-time goal leaders. As he currently sits at 590 goals, where does the Great 8 rank among the best goal scorers in NHL History?
My Top 10 Goal Scorers in NHL History:
1. Wayne Gretzky - 894 goals in 1487 games, 0.601 goals per game
By totals alone Gretzky has to be #1 on this list, he has an NHL-record 894 goals and 92 goals in one single season (1981/82). While Gretzky isn't a pure sniper like most of the players on this list, he had the ability to see the ice two steps ahead of the play and could score in a number of different ways. Among the many records #99 has, his 50 goals in 39 games may be the craziest of them all.
2. Mike Bossy - 573 goals in 752 games, 0.762 goals per game
Bossy might be one of the biggest what ifs in NHL history, because he was limited to just 10 NHL seasons by several back injuries. He's the only player in NHL history to put up 9 consecutive 50-goal seasons (to start his career too), scoring 38 goals in his 10th and final season. His 573 goals in 752 games gave him 0.762 goals per game, the best average in NHL history to date. Despite playing just 10 NHL seasons, Bossy is still regarded as one of the purest goal scorers in NHL history.
3. Brett Hull - 741 goals in 1269 games, 0.584 goals per game
One of the best goal scorers of his generation, Brett Hull is 4th all-time with 741 goals and his 86 goals in 1990/91 are the 2nd best single-season total in NHL history (Gretzky 92). The Brett/Bobby Hull duo has 1351 goals, the best father-son combination in NHL history. His 0.584 goals per game is 7th all-time and his 265 powerplay goals are 2nd to Dave Andreychuk (274) thanks to his famous one-knee one-timer.
4. Mario Lemieux - 690 goals in 915 games, 0.754 goals per game
Super Mario used a combination of size and speed to take over the NHL in the late 80s/early 90s, scoring 50 goals 6 times in his career including 85 in 1988/89 (the 3rd most in a single season in NHL history). He sits 10th all-time with 690 goals, and 2nd to Mike Bossy with 0.754 goals per game as injuries/recovering from cancer limited him to just 915 games in his career.
5. Gordie Howe - 801 goals in 1767 games, 0.453 goals per game
The NHL's all-time leader in games played, Howe scored a record 801 goals in his career which was the most all-time when he retired (currently 2nd to Gretzky now). Following his NHL career, Howe scored another 174 goals and had 508 points in 419 games in the WHA, putting his NHL/WHA career totals at 975 goals.
6. Phil Esposito - 717 goals in 1282 games, 0.559 goals per game
Esposito was one of the best players in the NHL during the late 60s/early 70s, leading the Bruins to 2 Stanley Cups in 3 seasons. In 1970-71 Phil Esposito scored a record 76 goals, shattering the previous mark of 58 goals set by Bobby Hull in 1968/69. Esposito sits 6th all-time with 717 goals and scored 118 game-winners in his career (3rd all-time).
7. Alex Ovechkin - 590 goals in 972 games, 0.607 goals per game
Ovechkin could very well end up at the top of this list when his career comes to an end, but already he's one of the most prolific goal scorers in NHL history. He has 13 straight 30-goal seasons and on the verge of his 8th 50-goal season and a record 7th Rocket Trophy. At the age of the 32 he's already 20th all-time with 590 goals and has the most OT goals (22) in NHL history.
8. Maurice Richard - 544 goals in 978 games, 0.556 goals per game
Well documented as the NHL's first elite goal scorer, Richard was the first player to ever score 50 goals in a season and did so in just 50 games in 1944/45, a feat that stood until Wayne Gretzky scored 50 in 39 games in 1981/82. Richard was the NHL's first 500-goal scorer and his 544 career goals were most all-time when he retired.
9. Mike Gartner - 708 goals in 1432 games, 0.494 goals per game
Gartner currently has the NHL record for most 30-goal seasons (17) and most consecutive 30-goal seasons (15 - tied with Jaromir Jagr). His 708 goals are good for 7th all-time
10. Jaromir Jagr - 766 goals in 1733 games, 0.442 goals per game
The recently NHL-retired Jagr current sits 3rd all-time with 766 goals, and his 135 game-winning goals are the most in NHL history. As mentioned above with Gartner, he has a record 15 seasons with 30+ goals and is the highest scoring European-born player in NHL history.
Honourable Mentions:
Marcel Dionne - 731 goals in 1348 games, 0.542 goals per game
Pavel Bure - 437 goals in 702 games, 0.623 goals per game
Mark Messier - 694 goals in 1756 games, 0.395 goals per game
Steve Yzerman - 692 goals in 1514 games, 0.457 goals per game
Teemu Selanne - 684 goals in 1451 games, 0.471 goals per game
The best part of this list is Ovechkin still has room to move up, he's only 32 years old and has shown no signs of slowing down. As the Great 8 nears 600 goals we must all sit back and appreciate truly how gifted a goal scorer he is, and one of the best in NHL history already.
NHL 100 videos via NHL.com (https://www.nhl.com/fans/nhl-centennial/100-greatest-nhl-players)
Statistics via www.hockeydb.com
Joel Forman - The Forman Faceoff
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