Ovechkin milestone thread - 850 and Beyond!

[Fallschirmyager]

Agreed 100% it was a variety of reasons.
As a side note: with GMGM I was so glad we beat them in the finals. All those years with "we like our team" and half ass defenses really wasted Ovi's prime.

I don't mind admitting I'm kind of bitter about that. The rest of it being equal, maybe we win a cup sooner with a proven coach, maybe not but we couldn't get beyond the 2nd round with rookie coaches and the same D and secondary scoring issues we suffered during the entire GMGM era.

 

[Hockey Outsider]

Seasons in the top twenty in points by player, 1918-2022

PLAYER

1​

2​

3​

4​

5​

6​

7​

8​

9​

10​

11​

12​

13​

14​

15​

16​

17​

18​

19​

20​

TOTAL

Gordie Howe

6​

1​

5​

3​

5​

1​

1​

1​

23​

Wayne Gretzky

11​

2​

2​

1​

1​

1​

18​

John Bucyk

1​

2​

1​

2​

2​

1​

2​

2​

1​

1​

1​

1​

17​

Alex Delvecchio

1​

1​

1​

2​

3​

1​

2​

2​

2​

1​

1​

17​

Marcel Dionne

1​

3​

1​

1​

1​

1​

1​

2​

1​

1​

2​

1​

16​

Alex Ovechkin

1​

2​

2​

1​

1​

1​

1​

1​

1​

2​

1​

1​

15​

Norm Ullman

1​

1​

3​

1​

1​

1​

2​

1​

1​

1​

1​

1​

15​

Stan Mikita

4​

1​

3​

1​

1​

3​

1​

14​

Bobby Hull

3​

3​

1​

1​

1​

1​

1​

1​

1​

1​

14​

Maurice Richard

5​

2​

1​

1​

1​

1​

2​

1​

14​

Joe Sakic

2​

1​

1​

2​

2​

1​

1​

1​

2​

1​

14​

Ovechkin is now virtually guaranteed to finish in the top 20 in scoring this season. I've updated the table to show him finishing 12th in scoring (which is where he ranks today).

Most of the posts here focus strictly on goal-scoring, and that's great, but he also looks really good by this point-based stat.

 

[filinski77]

Seasons in the top twenty in points by player, 1918-2022

PLAYER

1​

2​

3​

4​

5​

6​

7​

8​

9​

10​

11​

12​

13​

14​

15​

16​

17​

18​

19​

20​

TOTAL

Gordie Howe

6​

1​

5​

3​

5​

1​

1​

1​

23​

Wayne Gretzky

11​

2​

2​

1​

1​

1​

18​

John Bucyk

1​

2​

1​

2​

2​

1​

2​

2​

1​

1​

1​

1​

17​

Alex Delvecchio

1​

1​

1​

2​

3​

1​

2​

2​

2​

1​

1​

17​

Marcel Dionne

1​

3​

1​

1​

1​

1​

1​

2​

1​

1​

2​

1​

16​

Alex Ovechkin

1​

2​

2​

1​

1​

1​

1​

1​

1​

2​

1​

1​

15​

Norm Ullman

1​

1​

3​

1​

1​

1​

2​

1​

1​

1​

1​

1​

15​

Stan Mikita

4​

1​

3​

1​

1​

3​

1​

14​

Bobby Hull

3​

3​

1​

1​

1​

1​

1​

1​

1​

1​

14​

Maurice Richard

5​

2​

1​

1​

1​

1​

2​

1​

14​

Joe Sakic

2​

1​

1​

2​

2​

1​

1​

1​

2​

1​

14​

Ovechkin is now virtually guaranteed to finish in the top 20 in scoring this season. I've updated the table to show him finishing 12th in scoring (which is where he ranks today).

Most of the posts here focus strictly on goal-scoring, and that's great, but he also looks really good by this point-based stat.

Fantastic work!

What's impressive too is that many of these seasons he was within 1-7 points of 10th place. Of course a top-10 finish is better than a top-20 finish, but combined with being the most consistent goal scorer (most top-1 finishes, soon to be most top-5 finishes), he's up there with anybody in league history for overall consistency.

 

[The Lewler]

Scoring has been trending up so it is not impossible.

Consider if he scores 4 more goals this year for 784. Seasons of 45, 40, 40, 35 would add 160 goals. He'd be at 944 goals. Add 2-3 seasons in his early fourties to score another 56.

Difficult but if he stays healthy and is motivated to do it then he could do it.

He will walk away once he finishes the season in which he breaks Gretzkys record.

 

[filinski77]

Seasons in the top twenty in points by player, 1918-2022

PLAYER

1​

2​

3​

4​

5​

6​

7​

8​

9​

10​

11​

12​

13​

14​

15​

16​

17​

18​

19​

20​

TOTAL

Gordie Howe

6​

1​

5​

3​

5​

1​

1​

1​

23​

Wayne Gretzky

11​

2​

2​

1​

1​

1​

18​

John Bucyk

1​

2​

1​

2​

2​

1​

2​

2​

1​

1​

1​

1​

17​

Alex Delvecchio

1​

1​

1​

2​

3​

1​

2​

2​

2​

1​

1​

17​

Marcel Dionne

1​

3​

1​

1​

1​

1​

1​

2​

1​

1​

2​

1​

16​

Alex Ovechkin

1​

2​

2​

1​

1​

1​

1​

1​

1​

2​

1​

1​

15​

Norm Ullman

1​

1​

3​

1​

1​

1​

2​

1​

1​

1​

1​

1​

15​

Stan Mikita

4​

1​

3​

1​

1​

3​

1​

14​

Bobby Hull

3​

3​

1​

1​

1​

1​

1​

1​

1​

1​

14​

Maurice Richard

5​

2​

1​

1​

1​

1​

2​

1​

14​

Joe Sakic

2​

1​

1​

2​

2​

1​

1​

1​

2​

1​

14​

Ovechkin is now virtually guaranteed to finish in the top 20 in scoring this season. I've updated the table to show him finishing 12th in scoring (which is where he ranks today).

Most of the posts here focus strictly on goal-scoring, and that's great, but he also looks really good by this point-based stat.

Furthermore, IF Ovechkin can stay in the top-15 in points, he'll place himself tied FOURTH all time for the most top-15 point finishes (based off your table)

 

[JasonRoseEh]

I have been on the record that paying any player in history at age 36 a $9.5 X 5 year contract is just plain lousy in hockey terms and will hurt any team doing so.

The team is all in on Ovi getting the record that's why he gets 80% offensive zone starts and even with that he is hurting his team at ES and it will get worse not better as he ages.

That's all great for the record and all but how are other players going to be developed in such an atmosphere?

They probably should have singed him to a shorter deal and if winning the SC anytime soon is really a goal they would be developing a team culture not a lets get Ovi the record culture.

But the contract and the legend of Ovi has the team in a quagmire and it isn't going to age well IMO.

But if all one cares about is him breaking the record then they will be happy as all indications are that Washington is going to go out of their way to make it so.

The player and contract hurting the Caps is Backstrom's albatross, not Ovechkin and if it wasn't for him doing what he did the first half of the season this team isn't remotely sniffing the playoffs.

Anyone asserting that Ovechkin hurts his team in any respect at this point is naive and chasing a goal record is not evidence of that at all. Using that example you think the Caps would actually be BETTER if Ovechkin wasn't doing this? Have you seen their goaltending? For 2 months their blueline was a complete disaster outside of Orlov and Jensen and the first half of the season they led the league in games lost to injury by a staggering amount and they were all pretty much top 6 players. It's been said in here time and again but he was undeniably the first half Hart front runner, it isn't a mystery that his play fell off to a supposedly horrendous slightly above PPG pace, the man got tired. If Ovechkin was hurting his team they would have stepped up but as per usual, they didn't. I'm not sure if you watched the game last night but like so many others the Capitals are shutout without him, he absolutely carries the Capitals at times, more than any other player in the league. I'll say that again, Ovechkin carries his team at times more than any one else in the league and he's done it for years. As pathetic as the Capitals last 3 playoff appearances have been, Ovechkin has led the team in goals every year since the Cup and the one time he didn't lead in total points he only had one less than Carlson against the Islanders (Side note: Did you know that John Carlson was a -11 in 5 games against the Isles in that first round? Oof) He isn't hurting them in the playoffs at all either, it's nonsense.

Your Ovechkin take is misguided as a Backstrom one, he's completely hurting his team with his play and carries a staggering cap hit that the team will never recover from. I'm just going to pretend that every time you write something like this with Ovechkin in it, it's just about Backstrom.

 

[Hockey Outsider]

Furthermore, IF Ovechkin can stay in the top-15 in points, he'll place himself tied FOURTH all time for the most top-15 point finishes (based off your table)

View attachment 533880

What can I say? Ovechkin (and Lemieux, Crosby, Jagr, Beliveau, Hull, etc) was no Johnny Bucyk.

 

[19781999]

Gordie Howe and Chris Chelios played 26 seasons in the NHL. Alex Ovechkin should do the same. Go for 27. We need someone with 1000 regular season goals in the NHL history books. Ovechkin can do it!

ALEX OVECHKIN

100th Goal in Season 3
200th Goal in Season 4
300th Goal in Season 6
400th Goal in Season 9
500th Goal in Season 11
600th Goal in Season 13
700th Goal in Season 15
800th Goal in Season 18
900th Goal in Season 20
1000th Goal in Season 22

 

[19781999]

Does Ovechkin want to score 1000? Someone has to ask him.

 

[BallardEra]

18 goals in his last 22 games when it looked like 50 goals might have been out of reach for him this season.

 

[RageQuit77]

18 goals in his last 22 games when it looked like 50 goals might have been out of reach for him this season.

It's funny actually, nearly always when something is said "Ovechkin cannot do", "Can't reach", or "He is washed out for X amount of goals" etc. he somehow manages to do it. Years in years out. It's like he would hold his hand on the Instant Karma button to prove his doubters wrong.

His career has been continuous string of off-Seasons by some, already.

 

[ALLCAPSALLTHETIME]

18 goals in his last 22 games when it looked like 50 goals might have been out of reach for him this season.

That would work out to 67 goals over a full 82 games. That's pretty crazy.

Even when it no longer looked possible, he still got it done. Holy jumping!

 

[wetcoast]

The player and contract hurting the Caps is Backstrom's albatross, not Ovechkin and if it wasn't for him doing what he did the first half of the season this team isn't remotely sniffing the playoffs.

Anyone asserting that Ovechkin hurts his team in any respect at this point is naive and chasing a goal record is not evidence of that at all. Using that example you think the Caps would actually be BETTER if Ovechkin wasn't doing this? Have you seen their goaltending? For 2 months their blueline was a complete disaster outside of Orlov and Jensen and the first half of the season they led the league in games lost to injury by a staggering amount and they were all pretty much top 6 players. It's been said in here time and again but he was undeniably the first half Hart front runner, it isn't a mystery that his play fell off to a supposedly horrendous slightly above PPG pace, the man got tired. If Ovechkin was hurting his team they would have stepped up but as per usual, they didn't. I'm not sure if you watched the game last night but like so many others the Capitals are shutout without him, he absolutely carries the Capitals at times, more than any other player in the league. I'll say that again, Ovechkin carries his team at times more than any one else in the league and he's done it for years. As pathetic as the Capitals last 3 playoff appearances have been, Ovechkin has led the team in goals every year since the Cup and the one time he didn't lead in total points he only had one less than Carlson against the Islanders (Side note: Did you know that John Carlson was a -11 in 5 games against the Isles in that first round? Oof) He isn't hurting them in the playoffs at all either, it's nonsense.

Your Ovechkin take is misguided as a Backstrom one, he's completely hurting his team with his play and carries a staggering cap hit that the team will never recover from. I'm just going to pretend that every time you write something like this with Ovechkin in it, it's just about Backstrom.

It's hard to understand what you are saying here, on one hand Backstrom is the albatross contract but then he is also part of the "pretty much top 6 players" missing as well?

Other teams got decimated by injuries covid and goalies losing their rhythm that's probably why scoring is up but no one can prove it it's all guesswork, then all those guys come back and Ovechkin is -15 on the team but somehow the whole team is playing like garbage?

No the inconsistencies here are truly amazing and yet it's everyday stuff to say Ovi is great and if the Caps don't do well it's always other players fault.

80% offensive zone starts and still -15 over that stretch (well it got a bit better after yesterdays game sure).

I also like how you are going to pretend....as that's the issue that I have been railing against here, Ovi will get the goal scoring record by let's all pretend that the Capitals not being a SC contender is because of other reasons...gotchya, enjoy those 5 years.

but I do get it, it really has become all about goal scoring and never mind the rest of what makes up a hockey game and a hockey team.

 

[NJDevilsFan21]

Absolutely amazing that OV now has a chance to break this record too. I didn't think he was due any more 50 goal seasons beyond the last, despite still having a good chance at 895. Now I really wish the Devils just pulled their goalie and gave him that 50th.

 

[Plural]

That would work out to 67 goals over a full 82 games. That's pretty crazy.

Even when it no longer looked possible, he still got it done. Holy jumping!

I understood the reference

 

[ALLCAPSALLTHETIME]

I understood the reference

Oops, I think I messed it up. Should be, "Even when it looked like it was no longer possible, he still got it done. Holy jumping!"

His rookie year was something special and he is still great after all these years. Just amazing!

 

[ALLCAPSALLTHETIME]

It's hard to understand what you are saying here, on one hand Backstrom is the albatross contract but then he is also part of the "pretty much top 6 players" missing as well?

Other teams got decimated by injuries covid and goalies losing their rhythm that's probably why scoring is up but no one can prove it it's all guesswork, then all those guys come back and Ovechkin is -15 on the team but somehow the whole team is playing like garbage?

No the inconsistencies here are truly amazing and yet it's everyday stuff to say Ovi is great and if the Caps don't do well it's always other players fault.

80% offensive zone starts and still -15 over that stretch (well it got a bit better after yesterdays game sure).

I also like how you are going to pretend....as that's the issue that I have been railing against here, Ovi will get the goal scoring record by let's all pretend that the Capitals not being a SC contender is because of other reasons...gotchya, enjoy those 5 years.

but I do get it, it really has become all about goal scoring and never mind the rest of what makes up a hockey game and a hockey team.

Crosby the perennial Selke favourite, defensive dynamo (or so we've been told) has 70.1% offensive zone starts, this year. I don't anticipate that being any lower as he starts his age 35 season in the fall and onwards in his career.

BTW, please stop by and trash Ovechkin before the Arizona game. We'd all really appreciate it. Keep up the good work.

 

[Devil Dancer]

but I do get it, it really has become all about goal scoring and never mind the rest of what makes up a hockey game and a hockey team.

I guess you missed all those posts about Ovie's 40 assists this season.

 

[CapsFrontOffice]

Kuzy "what's this puck for?"

 

[Demandedace]

You have got to be one hell of a player to be 36 years old and have 50g/40a and be considered a detriment to your team lol

 

[PlushMinus]

Nothing like taking a quote out of context eh?

But sure Jason Dickinson is an elite NHL player too with his last game.

But when it happens, like it has since Jan 1st, people like you will be deflecting attention away from reality no doubt but hey he hit 50 goals again go back to talking about how great he is (and he is the greatest goalscorer of all time) but for some goals are the only thing right?

Holy mother of God - just let it go. Why do you care so much?? Pages and pages of you swimming against the tide. Surely there are other threads you could be posting on (in a positive manner)

 

[TJHKY]

Please enjoy the moment, the Great 8 is legend. He is still playing.
Lots of people may not see Great One played, but we can catch another Great playing right now.

 

[FrozenJagrt]

Amazing that there are still people that believe someone not named Ovechkin is the greatest goal scorer the game has seen.

 

[Kcoyote3]

Nothing like taking a quote out of context eh?

But sure Jason Dickinson is an elite NHL player too with his last game.

But when it happens, like it has since Jan 1st, people like you will be deflecting attention away from reality no doubt but hey he hit 50 goals again go back to talking about how great he is (and he is the greatest goalscorer of all time) but for some goals are the only thing right?

He has 90 points man

 

[Fallschirmyager]

Please enjoy the moment, the Great 8 is legend. He is still playing.
Lots of people may not see Great One played, but we can catch another Great playing right now.

Thankfully every game is taped.