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