Alex Ovechkin Set to Make NHL History

Alex Ovechkin, captain and left wing of the Washington Capitals since 2014, is about to place his name in the record books for two major accomplishments in the near future.

A decade ago, Ovechkin dominated in his first season, racking up a total of fifty-two goals that year. Currently Ovechkin and Sergei Fedorov, both Russian players in the NHL, are tied with 483 goals. While it took Fedorov 1,248 games to reach that number, Ovechkin achieved it in only 772 games.

One more goal and the record will be Ovechkin’s to claim. As a child, Ovechkin was a fan of Fedorov to the point there are pictures of him wearing a shirt with Fedorov’s name and number on it when he played with Detroit. It was an honor when he became his mentor’s teammate by joining the Washington Capitals.

Now the student is showing that his lessons were well learned. Fedorov was quite recently inducted into the Hall of Fame, and many say Ovechkin will follow suit.

As if this feat wasn’t enough, there is another significant goal of Ovechkin’s within his grasp. Once he makes just seventeen more goals, he will be inducted into the elite 500-goal club. Only forty-two members in NHL history have been allowed to join so far. Not only will he join the club, but should he achieve the seventeen goal target this year, he will be the fifth quickest player to achieve this honor.

Ovechkin is quite often compared to Wayne Gretzky, who remains the highest goal scorer in NHL history with 894 goals. Many believe Ovechkin will eventually have that distinction if he keeps scoring at the same pace.

He has been the league’s top scorer a total of five times, including the last three years, scoring at least fifty goals each season -- which is almost unheard of these days. He has the power, determination, and skills to break many records and set a new standard for future players. At the age of thirty, he still has plenty left in the proverbial tank.