Alexander Ovechkin (or Ovi) is only fingertips away from achieving a record deemed impossible to break. Ovechkin is 10 goals away from breaking the record for the highest career goals in the NHL, with the closest active player being 283 goals away from the record. 894 is the number to beat a record set by Wanye Gretztey in 1999. A surreal moment is almost inevitable. However, one question is raised: How is a player on the verge of retirement scoring at the rate of some of the league’s youngest and greatest stars? How does a 39 year old man break a 26 year old record that was originally broken when the record holder was just 28?
Ovechkin, whose last name means little lamb, is an interesting player at age 39. “NHL Edge” reported that he’s below the 50th percentile in both top skating speed, speed bursts over 20 mph, 18-20 mph bursts, and offensive and defensive zone times. “NHL Edge” is also reporting that Ovechkin is in 90+ percentile in shots on goal, goals, top speed in shots, and average shot speed. Ovechkin is such a phenomenal player when it comes to scoring that he doesn’t have to do much. The front office and coaching staff work to pair Alex with players that can move the puck to him in the left wing zone so that he can score. Players like Dylan Strome, for example, have assisted on 57 of 105 (a total of 54%) of Ovechkin goals since the 2022-2023 Season when Strome joined Washington.
Another one of the ways Ovechkin is scoring past his younger teammates is on the Power Play. When you watch the Caps work the Power Play, one thing becomes apparent: Washington is always looking for Ovi. Most of the puck movement during the man advantage is on the opposite side of Ovi’s Office. The point of this kind of movement is so they can open up a shot for Alex. Other players on the ice are trying to move the opposition away from Ovi so that he can have a better shot chance from the left dot. This movement has worked out well for Washington. In the last three seasons, Ovechkin has a total of 49 goals that have come from that left wing zone with 36 of them coming on the power play. Washington coaching staff have acknowledged that Ovechkin’s Office shots are being read like a book. So, to combat that, they have started to move Ovechkin towards the blue line and the center of the zone. This allows for more screened shots on net that would make his very accurate and fast shots go in.
The Capitals have worked so hard to help their aging captain score at a level that looks unprecedented at his age. Ovechkin is on his way to becoming a member of hockey history. The Great 8, a nickname given to him based off of his number, is going to become a member of greatness doing something that he loves to do: scoring goals, cellying hard, and eating hot cheetos.