Ovechkin Milestone Thread - Countdown to 894

[Hanji]

Get used to people downplaying his achievements. Ovechkin is chasing hockey royalty and Canadian cultural icons.

Pushback always exists in these situations, in all sports. While it's certainly nowhere close to a Hank Aaron scenario, I also suspect Ovechkin's race/nationality isn't helping the situation with certain segments of the population.

 

[Toby91ca]

The "When Ovechkin scores goals, it hurts the team" narrative is quite possibly the dumbest sports narrative I've ever heard.

Who says that?

 

[WarriorofTime]

Get used to people downplaying his acievements. Ovechkin is chasing hockey royalty and Canadian cultural icons.

Pushback always exists in these situations, in all sports. While it's certainly nowhere close to a Hank Aaron scenario, I also suspect Ovechkin's race/nationality isn't helping the situation with certain segments of the population.

That's kinda crazy the parallels to Hank Aaron breaking Ruth's record to Ovechkin breaking Gretzky's record. It's almost a similar amount of time to if you look at when Aaron broke the record in relation to Ruth's last game (39 years). But a lot less extreme for sure as most people are rooting for Ovechkin and it's a few sour sports being negative.

 

[Sentinel]

Ovechkin received LESS help throughout his career than ANY player in the Top 20 of hockey history.

The only one who compares is Hasek, but he got some help in his Cup-winning years.

Only Bure received less and maybe that's why (+ injuries) he never came close to being a Top 20 of all time.

 

[kugelbahn]

Get used to people downplaying his achievements. Ovechkin is chasing hockey royalty and Canadian cultural icons.

Pushback always exists in these situations, in all sports. While it's certainly nowhere close to a Hank Aaron scenario, I also suspect Ovechkin's race/nationality isn't helping the situation with certain segments of the population.

Yeah, xenophobia is always in play, especially on online forum dominated by one group.

 

[kaiser matias]

Real shame that Howe went to the WHA and didn't stay in the NHL.

It probably helped him get to 801. He had been retired 2 years before returning to the WHA, and rejoined the NHL as a result. No WHA and he likely finishes with 786 goals.

 

[Sentinel]

It probably helped him get to 801. He had been retired 2 years before returning to the WHA, and rejoined the NHL as a result. No WHA and he likely finishes with 786 goals.

Had the NHL offered him $1M to return, he would have returned to the NHL.

 

[andrjusha]

Is 102 pages, 2533 posts threads a hfboards all-time record or something?

PS. NM, it is

 

[Karl Eriksson]

I blinked and he scored 5 more in the last few games. Man he’s just so good. Lock for scoring GOAT and 5th best player all time.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Ovechkin probably received LESS help throughout his career than ANY player in the Top 20 of hockey history.

The only one who compares is Hasek, but he got some help in his Cup-winning years.

Dude straight up carried a Franchise for 17 years.

 

[BallardEra]

Caps won't 'rebuild' as Ovechkin chases Gretzky


"He's very cognizant of doing this the right way," Leonsis said while attending the NHL board of governors. "Alex said, 'I'm not gonna be a third-line guy playing 8-10 minutes a game [where you] trot me out on the power play and let me score my goals. That's not what I want to do. Promise me you'll keep the team competitive [and] a playoff team.' And he promised to come in shape all the time and not be fixated on the record but be fixated on winning another Stanley Cup."

 

[ovikovy817]

Haters gonna hate

 

[Toby91ca]

Had the NHL offered him $1M to return, he would have returned to the NHL.

$1 million a year? Would have been astronomical back then. At the time, Orr signed the richest deal in history, paying him $200K a year. Also, Howe was 43.

 

[User9992]

I wonder how many points Ovi would have if there weren't 2 lockouts & 1 Covid shortened seasons

 

[TJHKY]

 

[Golden_Jet]

Ovechkin will need to score more than 60 goals at an age higher than Gretzky was when he retired. If he is able to manage that, ENG or not, that’s pretty f***ing impressive and it should truly legitimize him as absolutely the best goal scorer ever and truly deserving of holding the goals record. Guy was an absolute power forward and played like a bull.

I am all for the ENG now. Its going to be hilarious in 2 years to see him all grey bearded and pot bellied trying for the empty netters.

Yep Gretzky has the record for most ENG

 

[Golden_Jet]

He is the best though, and there really is no rational basis for anyone else at this point. Peak, prime, longevity - Ovechkin is the total package.

Here is a bunch of data. It compares the best goal scorers of all time at the 5, 10, and 15 year marks. Obviously Ovie has continued to rack up the totals since then - moreso than anyone else on this list, but 15 years is a pretty good sample.

View attachment 620335

Thanks for posting
Not many 50 goal seasons during Bobby Hull, Howe and Richard days when you look at the table.

 

[Sentinel]

$1 million a year? Would have been astronomical back then. At the time, Orr signed the richest deal in history, paying him $200K a year. Also, Howe was 43.

That's what Hull was offered in WHA.

 

[Sun God Nika]

Does Ovi hit 800 tonight?

 

[Jeremy Hronek]

I blinked and he scored 5 more in the last few games. Man he’s just so good. Lock for scoring GOAT and 5th best player all time.

They were all empty nets lol. I love Ovie don't get me wrong, I just hope the rest of his goals up until 801 are into a net with a goalie.

 

[Toby91ca]

That's what Hull was offered in WHA.

No he wasn't, he was paid $1m upfront, but signed for 10 years for $2.5M I think.

 

[Sentinel]

No he wasn't, he was paid $1m upfront, but signed for 10 years for $2.5M I think.

This means he was. Thank you for confirming my words.

Quoting myself: "Had the NHL offered him $1M to return, he would have returned to the NHL."

 

[filinski77]

What am I missing? I haven’t read much here just focusing on comment that Ovechkin played in a lower scoring era than the DPE….how? DPE had goals per game between 2.57 to 2.76….the average for OV’s career is significantly higher than that…if we’re comparing to Lemieux, doesn’t matter as Lemieux played in higher scoring era as well…so again, just focused on the DPE comment

Hey, no worries at all! Here's my 2 part thought process.

1) See the chart below. You can't compare Ovechkin's 18 year career to a 10 year period that we call the DPE. As you can clearly see, the NHL average goals dipped in 1995, and rebounded in 2006. So from 1995 to 2004 (10 seasons), the NHL averaged 2.77 goals/gp. Ovechkin also played most of his prime (and his whole peak) in a 10 year period from 2008 to 2017 that also had the exact same goals/gp of 2.77.

2) I like to have a second thought process surrounding league-wide scoring. Which is the results of the best players in the league. The issue with my analysis in #1 above, is that despite the exact same 2.77 overall rate above across both 10 year periods, the actual distribution of those points and goals etc. were completely different. In the official "DPE", 10th place in points averaged 86 points, and 30th place averaged 70 points. In Ovechkin's DPE, 10th place in points averaged 80 points, and 30th place averaged 67 points. This means that the elite players in the league, were scoring a large distribution of the points than the depth players were in the official "DPE". Meaning that 86 points in the late 90's to early 2000's was about the equivalent to 80 points in Ovechkin's DPE.

Because of the combination of #1 and #2 above, I'm very confident in my belief that at the very worst, Ovechin's DPE was equally low scoring, and in any other scenario, it was actually lower scoring than the official DPE.

Season	G
2023​	3.17​
2022​	3.14​
2021​	2.94​
2020​	3.02​
2019​	3.01​
2018​	2.97​
2017​	2.77​
2016​	2.71​
2015​	2.73​
2014​	2.74​
2013​	2.72​
2012​	2.73​
2011​	2.79​
2010​	2.84​
2009​	2.91​
2008​	2.78​
2007​	2.95​
2006​	3.08​
2004​	2.57​
2003​	2.65​
2002​	2.62​
2001​	2.76​
2000​	2.75​
1999​	2.63​
1998​	2.64​
1997​	2.92​
1996​	3.14​
1995​	2.99​
1994​	3.24​
1993​	3.63​
1992​	3.48​
1991​	3.46​

 

[Caps8112]

In preparation of an ovi empty net goal tonight and just to fire up the usual jokers in this thread, has there ever been an empty net hat trick

 

[ottawa]

Who says that?

Pittsburgh fans