Ovechkin milestone thread - 850 and Beyond!

[authentic]

50 goals at age 39 would be downright insane.

It's not only the goals but how durable he has been. This guy is just indestructible.

That type of durability with the style of game he has played which is extremely taxing on the body shows he is just built differently. Not sure how he has been able to stay away from serious injuries all this time and continue producing at his age.

 

[Monsieur Miz]

Funny how all the most “durable” players are all floaters. Kessel, Marleau, Kane, Ovechkin, etc.

Amazing what not playing defense, battling along the boards, or blocking shots will do for one’s durability.

He has 3664 hits... ranked 5th since they started tracking the stat. Probably going to end up top 3 above Zdeno Chara.

 

[the valiant effort]

I was and always will be a huge Jagr fan but I remember thinking “welp that’s it for you bud” after Ovechkin snatched him up at the Olympics. Lol

 

[Randyne]

That type of durability with the style of game he has played which is extremely taxing on the body shows he is just built differently. Not sure how he has been able to stay away from serious injuries all this time and continue producing at his age.

He didn't stay away, he plays through injuries. Kadri's knee hit would be career ending-injury for anyone. Ovechkin just continued playing.

 

[Perfect_Drug]

Does Ovi drink Vodka during the season ?

Don't most Russians just have an IV drip?

 

[Coffee]

Don't most Russians just have an IV drip?

I wanna hear what @Ovechkins Wodka has to say , no reply so far

 

[Randyne]

Funny how all the most “durable” players are all floaters. Kessel, Marleau, Kane, Ovechkin, etc.

Amazing what not playing defense, battling along the boards, or blocking shots will do for one’s durability.

Hits and blocked shots since 2005 PO+RS

Player	Hits	BkS
Alex Ovechkin	4306​	635​
Patrick Marleau	1461​	454​
Sidney Crosby	1312​	718​
Patrick Kane	371​	310​
Phil Kessel	238​	339​

 

[Ghost of Murph]

That type of durability with the style of game he has played which is extremely taxing on the body shows he is just built differently. Not sure how he has been able to stay away from serious injuries all this time and continue producing at his age.

Most definitely. Plenty of skilled athletes work their asses off and are physical marvels. Very few defy father time. Athletes such as Ovi, Chara, Simone Biles, etc told father time to get lost. When hard work meets freakish genetics and luck great things happen.

 

[filinski77]

No, just his rookie season and the last two so far.

To be fair, I would barely count 2020's playoffs either.

Penguins lost the "qualifying round" of the playoffs, meaning they did not qualify for the playoffs.

 

[pezpunk]

It's a very interesting stat, as Ovechkin isn't exactly elusive. Young Ovechkin used to recieve enormous hits.
I think AO carrying the puck far less the last several years explains it partially (Alex playing injured and getting rid of the puck ASAP to avoid getting hit isn't out of question too), and, of course, AO famously led the NHL in PP TOI over that period.

I think the legends of the game are given a certain level of respect late in their careers. You could see it with Jagr; nobody was going to risk running the guy and forever being known as the one who ended his career.

(And of course, he and Ovi are brick-****houses so hitting them in the first place was never enjoyable.)

I don’t think his reduced hits taken is an indication of any form of respect or deference from other players. He is simply never asked to carry the puck anymore. For the first half of his career, he’d be the one crossing the blue line with the puck. That’s never the case anymore. It coincides with him becoming a one-timer machine moreso than anything else. You can’t hit a guy if he doesn’t have the puck.

That’s not a criticism. He’s been not just insanely durable and insanely talented, he’s also been insanely crafty and innovative with his game. He’s now quietly remaking his game for a third time. Of his 12 goals so far this season, only one has been a power play goal (yes, a one timer from the top of the circle). The other 11 were from him sneaking around to right side, or crashing the net, or just finding random space.

 

[zappa4ever]

No, just his rookie season and the last two so far.

Let's not forget the giant asterisk of 2019-20 where they didn't make it to the 16 teams in the 1st round

 

[Nsjohnson]

Funny how all the most “durable” players are all floaters. Kessel, Marleau, Kane, Ovechkin, etc.

Amazing what not playing defense, battling along the boards, or blocking shots will do for one’s durability.

Wait so you're saying people should get injured and be martyrs of sorts just to play defense?

Also- what is this like 2010? Ovechkin won his cup and while doing so has also becomes the GOAT scorer. Everyone, including every NHL player and GM would have nothing bad to say about him in regards to his style of play.

Just you.

 

[Video Nasty]

To be fair, I would barely count 2020's playoffs either.

Penguins lost the "qualifying round" of the playoffs, meaning they did not qualify for the playoffs.

Let's not forget the giant asterisk of 2019-20 where they didn't make it to the 16 teams in the 1st round

No asterisk is needed, since the 2020 playoffs were described as a “24-team playoff” brought about by a situation outside of anyone’s control.

The Penguins were also a playoff bound team before the stoppage, with the 5th most wins and 5th most points in the Eastern Conference and were one of seven forty win teams and tied for 7th in points across the entire league.

It’s laughable they lost to Montreal, but they were also in the unusual circumstance that wouldn’t have occurred where they had to play a series just because they happened to be a few points behind the Capitals and Flyers at a random point in time.

 

[filinski77]

No asterisk is needed, since the 2020 playoffs were described as a “24-team playoff” brought about by a situation outside of anyone’s control.

The Penguins were also a playoff bound team before the stoppage, with the 5th most wins and 5th most points in the Eastern Conference.

It’s laughable they lost to Montreal, but they were also in the unusual circumstance that wouldn’t have happened, where they had to play a series just because they happened to be a few points behind the Capitals and Flyers at a random point in time.

Agree that they technically did - which is why I said "barely".

The Penguins were only 6 points ahead of the 6th place Islanders (who had 1 game in hand), and with 12 games left anything could have happened.

Penguins didn't make the first round of the playoffs, they did objectively did not qualify for the playoffs (since the round was called the qualifying round), so even if they "made" the playoffs, it's an asterisk either way.

Also - this discussion is silly anyways lol

 

[Video Nasty]

Agree that they technically did - which is why I said "barely".

The Penguins were only 6 points ahead of the 6th place Islanders (who had 1 game in hand), and with 12 games left anything could have happened.

Penguins didn't make the first round of the playoffs, they did objectively did not qualify for the playoffs (since the round was called the qualifying round), so even if they "made" the playoffs, it's an asterisk either way.

Also - this discussion is silly anyways lol

I’m certainly not going to bend even further backwards for Crosby and the Penguins, so we’ll shelve this one for sure, lol.

In an attempt to get back on topic, the last time the Capitals won 9 of their first 12 games, they had an identical 9-3-0 record and went on to win the President’s trophy with a 56-20-8 record in 2015-2016.

Ovechkin also had 8 goals and 8 assists in those 12 games.

 

[jonrazor12]

Ovie has 1000 on his mind

 

[Midnight Judges]

That type of durability with the style of game he has played which is extremely taxing on the body shows he is just built differently. Not sure how he has been able to stay away from serious injuries all this time and continue producing at his age.

Ovie has a ridiculously high hockey IQ and consistently great awareness (which is why opposing fans are always so pissed that he got open - it's not a coincidence.). He doesn't get credit for it.

Guys try to line him up but Ovie anticipates and it rarely ever works out for them. Most often they end up taking the worst of a counter hit.

In his prime there were playoff series where guys were trying to hit him in game 1 or 2, and by game 5 they want nothing to do with hitting Ovie.

 

[Regal]

I know the likelihood is really small but with some of the usual suspects starting slow, a Richard race to break the record would certainly be fun

 

[DRW895]

Is that first Steven Stamkos secondary assist among 861 Ovechkin goals?

 

[BallardEra]

Also- what is this like 2010? Ovechkin won his cup and while doing so has also becomes the GOAT scorer. Everyone, including every NHL player and GM would have nothing bad to say about him in regards to his style of play.

I forget where I recently heard it but apparently they asked NHL players "off the record" if they wanted Ovie to break Gretzky's record and all of the players said yes.

That tells me that his peers respect him and that also carries more weight than what some random haters on HFBoards think of him.

I’m certainly not going to bend even further backwards for Crosby and the Penguins, so we’ll shelve this one for sure, lol.

In an attempt to get back on topic, the last time the Capitals won 9 of their first 12 games, they had an identical 9-3-0 record and went on to win the President’s trophy with a 56-20-8 record in 2015-2016.

Ovechkin also had 8 goals and 8 assists in those 12 games.

So are you also predicting 50 goals for him this season too?...lol

 

[BallardEra]

Ovie has 1000 on his mind

I disagree.

He's done after next year and heading back to Russia.

 

[usiel]

OV being on top of ALL clutch stats is a strong indicator that he is probably the single most important player to a single hockey franchise

Every time I go to Caps game, see the sea of his jerseys, it amazes me how popular he is despite being a "ruski in enemy's capital city"

I believe he's threaded the needle here. Sure there is the cynical side and just how he's navigated the political side sports side in Russia.

It's a very interesting stat, as Ovechkin isn't exactly elusive. Young Ovechkin used to recieve enormous hits.
I think AO carrying the puck far less the last several years explains it partially (Alex playing injured and getting rid of the puck ASAP to avoid getting hit isn't out of question too), and, of course, AO famously led the NHL in PP TOI over that period.

Ovechkin naturally needed to adapt to aging as a NHL player and his decrease in speed by saving it for the offensive zone and getting it to others in transition as fast as you can.

Sort of like the Floor Jordan incarnation when he came and played for the Wizards after becoming the GM. Didn't have the explosiveness and the hops but he could still play the game positively.

One thing when it comes to truly evaluating generation players in pro sports is how they adapted to longevity in the game where they can compensate innate physical traits with experience and skill.

 

[PlushMinus]

Funny how all the most “durable” players are all floaters. Kessel, Marleau, Kane, Ovechkin, etc.

Amazing what not playing defense, battling along the boards, or blocking shots will do for one’s durability.

I think we know who the real floater is. And I'm not talking in a hockey sense.

 

[Regal]

One thing when it comes to truly evaluating generation players in pro sports is how they adapted to longevity in the game where they can compensate innate physical traits with experience and skill.

I think this can often be overlooked. There’s a lot of dismissing of “compilers” in the sport and a big focus on peak and prime. But while those are obviously important, I think the IQ, skill, determination and even ego required to adjust your game to stay relevant for years is impressive in itself.

 

[BallardEra]