Last Thursday, Washington Capitals captain Alexander “The Great 8” Ovechkin sniped his 732nd career NHL goal, surpassing Marcel Dionne for fifth place on the all-time NHL goal-scoring list. Goal #733 came two days later. And there are more to come.
Now that Ovi has caught Dionne, next on his conquest list is Brett Hull, who’s #4 on the all-time list with 741 goals. And when that quest is fulfilled, #3 Jaromir Jagr is in his sights at 766. So by the time the 2021-22 NHL season concludes, it’s a strong possibility that Ovechkin will pass Jagr and sit in third place on the all-time scoring list. He’ll then trail only Gordie Howe (841) and Wayne Gretzky (894) as the greatest goal-scorer in NHL history.
There are no signs of slowing down for this 36-year-old, who is now in his 17th season, and that means catching Jagr this season appears imminent. Projections point to a 45+ goal 2021-22 season, and Ovi already has three tallies in a season that’s but a week old.
Ovechkin inked a five-year, $47.5 million extension with the Capitals back in July. The deal will take him through age 40, which could represent a performance problem for ordinary players, but Ovechkin is no ordinary player. If he were to average 33 goals per season during that contract period (and that’s a realistic outcome), Ovechkin would surpass Wayne Gretzky as the NHL’s all-time best goal scorer.
Will he do it? And, if so, when? Those are million-dollar questions, and two reasons why following Ovi is so much fun. Next on the conquest trail (and it could bring goal #734) is a Tuesday match-up with the Colorado Avalanche. You can follow the action at 7p Eastern on ESPN+/Hulu.
