Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin is already the NHL’s all-time leading goal-scorer, and he keeps adding to his list of personal milestones. He did it again on Tuesday night with a two-goal effort in their 6-4 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.
Alex Ovechkin makes history with another 30-goal season
With his two goals on Tuesday, Ovechkin is now up to 31 goals on the season.
That makes him the first player in NHL history to ever reach the 30-goal mark 20 different times. He has reached that mark in all but one of his seasons in the league, failing to do so in only the 2020-21 season when he scored 24 goals in 45 games. Not only did Ovechkin miss nine games that season, but that was also only a 56-game season.
It is a remarkable run of consistency over two decades that is nearly unmatched in league history. It is not just a matter of pure talent, either. It is also incredible durability and longevity to be able to maintain that standard for so long.
What makes this year’s performance even more historic is that he is still scoring 30 goals despite the fact he has already celebrated his 40th birthday.
He is just the fourth player in league history to ever score 30 goals in their age 40 season or older, joining a list that includes only Gordie Howe, Johnny Bucyk and Teemu Selanne.