Alex Ovechkin's 300th Career Goal Game
The Great 8: NHL's all-time leading goal scorer.
Alexander Mikhailovich Ovechkin (, ; born 17 September 1985) is a Russian professional ice hockey left winger and captain for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nicknamed "the Great 8" (in reference to his jersey number) and "Ovi", as well as "Alexander the Great" () by Russian media, Ovechkin has scored the most career goals in NHL regular season history, and is the only player in NHL history to have scored 900 regular season goals.
Quick Facts
- Opponent
- Vancouver Canucks
- Date
- January 15, 2010
Lore & Background
Ovechkin was born on 17 September 1985 in Moscow, the son of Soviet athletes. His mother, Tatyana Ovechkina, is a two-time Olympic gold medalist (1976, 1980) and world champion (1975) in basketball. His father, Mikhail, was a soccer player. His favorite NHL team growing up was the San Jose Sharks.
He was two years old when he first picked up a hockey stick. In early childhood, he moved with his family to a high-rise building on the outskirts of Moscow. He attended public school No. 596, completing eight and a half grades before starting at Dynamo Moscow's sports school. When Ovechkin was 10, his elder brother Sergei died of a blood clot following a car accident.
Ovechkin credits Sergei for introducing him to hockey and encouraging him to pursue it. When he scores, Ovechkin will often kiss his glove and point to the sky in a salute to his brother. Ovechkin established his reputation within the Dynamo Moscow system by scoring 56 goals at the age of 11, surpassing the previous record held by Pavel Bure, who had scored 53 goals. His idol was Mario Lemieux.
Reader's Guide
Ovechkin began his professional career with Dynamo Moscow of the Russian Superleague in 2001, playing there for four seasons. He was selected by the Capitals first overall in the 2004 NHL entry draft. In the 2005–06 season, Ovechkin captured the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year and finished third overall in league scoring. He has won the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the NHL's leading goal scorer a record nine times.
He holds the NHL record for most 40-goal seasons with fourteen, and shares with Mike Bossy and Wayne Gretzky the record for most 50-goal campaigns with nine. He is the only player to have tallied 200 or more goals in three different decades, with 245 in the 2000s, 437 in the 2010s, and 247 in the 2020s. He has won the Hart Memorial Trophy three times (in 2008, 2009, and 2013) and the award for best player as voted on by the National Hockey League Players' Association three times (2008, 2009, and 2010).
In 2018, the Capitals won the Stanley Cup for the first time, and Ovechkin was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy. He has been named to the NHL first All-Star team eight times, and the second All-Star team four times. In 2017, Ovechkin was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players of all time.
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