Over the ten seasons of his Hall of Fame career, Alex Ovechkin has dazzled fans with his ability to score goals. The 30-year old Caps captain is achieved a milestone no player in Capitals history has reached, and one many NHLers dream of accomplishing: 900 career points. The first overall pick of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft reached the lofty plateau last night (Tuesday) against the Calgary Flames.
The true brilliance of Ovechkin is that he loves to play hockey, and doesn’t care what any critic might say. His passion for the game is infectious, and it is reflected in the achievements he has had thus far. His personality has led to many memorable moments over the years.
From the moment he buried former Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Radoslav Suchy into the Verizon Center (then known as the MCI Center) boards, Ovi dominated the NHL, scoring 52 goals and 106 points en route to capturing the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year. Over the next nine years, Ovechkin has given the hockey world some very magical moments. No player may ever match the true beauty of “The Goal”, when Ovechkin scored while on his back, with one hand on his stick. The magnificence that is Ovechkin is far from over.
When he reached the 50-goal mark last season for the sixth time in his career, Ovi joined rare company, as Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy have nine, while Guy LaFleur, Marcel Dionne, and Mario Lemieux are the only others with six 50-goal campaigns. Ovechkin has already made the Hall of Fame and when the time comes for his enshrinement, he will surely be a first-ballot inductee. There are some who question the two-way play of Ovechkin, but Capitals fans know that the beloved Russian is arguably, the best player in the league.
Ovechkin has truly reached rare air. And at only 30-years old, it’s not out of the question that he has a few more 50+ goal seasons left in him. He will continue to be the dazzling, magical goal-scorer he has always been, and will continue to be until he hangs up his skates for the final time. The Russian Machine is a truly special hockey player, and his historic career is only getting better.
By Michael Fleetwood
