The Great 8
Alexander Ovechkin has announced that the 2026-2027 NHL season will be his last. Spanning 22 years with the Washington Capitals, Ovi’s is a career of extreme highs, elite play and constant excitement. The Captain of the Capitals has not disappointed one bit in his long, illustrious career. Ovi will always be known as a goal scorer first and foremost. Breaking Gretzky’s seemingly impossible regular season goal record (Gretzky – 894, Ovechkin – 929 and counting) may be his most famous moment in his amazing career. No one expected Gretzky’s goal scoring record to ever be broken. Ovechkin also holds the following NHL records to go with being the all-time leading goal scorer in the NHL:
- Most PPG All-Time – 331 and counting
- Most GWG All-Time – 141 and counting
- Most “Rocket” Richard Trophy’s – Most Goals in a Season – 9 Times
- Most 40-Goal Seasons – 14 Seasons
- Most 50 Goal Seasons – 9 Seasons (Tied with Gretzky and Mike Bossy)
- Most 30 Goal Seasons – 18 Seasons
- Most Goals Scored by a Left Winger – 929 and counting
- Most Goals Scored with One Franchise – Washington Capitals, 929 and counting
- Most Goals in Away Games – 476 and counting
- Most Goals Scored Against Different Goalies – 179 Goalies and counting
The resume goes on with a Calder Trophy, 3 Hart Trophies, 1 Ross Trophy, 3 Ted Lindsay Awards, 1 Messier Award, 1 Conn Smythe and of course the 2017-2018 Stanley Cup. Depending on how this final season plays out for the legendary left winger, Ovi might be close to breaking the all-time record for hits delivered by his position. Currently, the all-time leader for hits by a left winger is Matt Martin with 3,936. Ovechkin currently sits second all-time with 3,756 hits. The physicality that Alexander Ovechkin has played with his entire career makes the goal scoring record even more impressive. Ovi has played less than 50 games in his 22 year career twice. In 2012-2013 he played 48 games and still managed to put up 32 goals that year. In 2020-2021 he played 45 games and scored 24 goals. The moniker “The Great 8” truly does apply to Ovechkin. It truly is impressive to see how physical Ovi has played throughout his entire career while maintaining the elite standard with which a lot of fans, commentators and players have held him to. Left Wing greats like Keith Tkachuk, Brendan Shanahan, Ted Lindsay, Gary Roberts, etc. respectfully could not hold a candle to the physicality Ovechkin displays while also scoring at such a rapid pace. Ovechkin took the mold of a body bashing forward and added to it with his immaculate shooting and control of the puck. From the moment he scored his first goal in his rookie season in the slot vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets, you could see the talent ready and waiting to be let lose upon the NHL. Let’s also not forget how the one-timer on a Power Play at the left circle is basically named the Ovi Special. The unforgettable, one-timer clappers that Ovechkin has delivered in that specific space while on special teams have also become a signature piece in his game. Even with all the preparation in the world, goaltenders cannot stop the Ovi Special.
With the emanating departure of Ovechkin looming over this season, you cannot help but think of his arch nemesis and rival, Sidney Crosby and when he will call it a career. These two have been linked with each other since they first played one another in 2005-2006, with Ovechkin ultimately winning the Calder Trophy (NHL Rookie of the Year) over Crosby, who at the time, was dubbed “The Next One” in hopes that he would be in line with Gretzky, Lemieux, etc. No one forecasted Ovechkin inserting himself into becoming one of the greats in the league at the time. Both players are the main reason the NHL did not fold after the 2004-2005 lockout that completely crippled the league at the time. These two elite players came into the league right away and became the superstars the NHL so desperately needed to carry the game and keep the ship above water. Without 87 and 8 playing in the same era at the same time, the NHL does not thrive the way it is thriving today. These two players are so synonymous with each other that the NHL scheduled the last Washington Capitals home game of this season against the Pittsburgh Penguins. A very fitting end to one of the greatest player rivalries in NHL history. And who knows, if the hockey gods permit, we may even get one last playoff series between the two.
As we watch the season and look forward to Alexander Ovechkin retiring, we also must look at the stars that are currently in the league. The league will be in good hands once The Great 8 skates off into the sunset. Lack of star power no longer seems to be an issue in the NHL. Ovechkin is a direct contributor to the rise in talent in the NHL. When Ovi started his rapid scoring pace, kids, teens and adults alike couldn’t wait to flock to stores to buy his jersey, find the stick he used, try to get that mirrored-tinted visor he used to wear (Thanks for killing personality traits on that one NHL. See NHL Rule 9.7, which began crackdown of tinted and mirrored visors. Also, blame Martin Broduer.) and start shooting the puck at a net all while shouting, “OVI!” Because of the excitement Ovechkin brought to the game, there is a whole new crop of players doing their best Ovi impressions while carving out legacies for themselves. The increase of hitting among scoring forwards is a direct result of Ovechkin’s style of play. Unfortunately, not everyone can be as healthy or have the physical attributes Ovi has been fortunate enough to maintain. Even as Ovechkin has lessoned his physicality the last couple years, cherry picked his spots on the ice to keep up scoring at a 30 goal per year pace, he remains a constant threat on the ice to score and change a games outcome. It is not just longevity that’s impressive. It is the elite play with the length of the career that we will remember when The Great 8 skates away from the game. The quotes, the personality, the hits and most of all, the goals, the oh so many goals, will be with us until the end of time. There will never be another like Ovechkin and that’s just the way all of us involved with the NHL would have it.
