The Great 8: Alexander Ovechkin
By Zack Astran, Sports Editor //
Every season, whether the Capitols are in first place in their division or last place, Alex Ovechkin takes the burden for most of the criticism. Critics will come up with just about every reason to hate on Ovechkin, but he could possibly be the greatest goal scorer sense Gretzky. In a losing effort to the St. Louis Blues earlier in the season, Ovechkin became the 5th player in NHL history to score 30 goals in his first 10 seasons in the NHL. He joins Mike Bossy, Wayne Gretzky, Jari Kurri and fellow Caps-great Mike Gartner as the only players in the history of the game to accomplish this feat.
The recently named “First Star” for the month of January’s milestone is a testament to his consistency and raw hockey abilities.
Consistency:
Ovechkin has not exactly had consistency when it comes to the coaching carousel in the past couple of seasons. First, it was Bruce Boudreau. Then, it was Dale Hunter followed by Adam Oates. Now, it’s Barry Trotz’s team in Washington (39-24-10). Each coach has brought a different system and a different mentality to the table, but only one thing has stayed consistent: Ovechkin.
Like the record shows, Ovechkin has not gone below 30 goals in any season that he has been in the NHL. His highest goal total for one season was 65 goals, and his lowest was 32. Through all of the up’s and down’s that the Capitals franchise has endured within the last 10 years, Ovechkin has been the rock and foundation for the franchise.
Now with Barry Trotz, Ovechkin has tallied 47 goals, 26 assists and a plus-11 rating already this season. Trotz’s system, which largely focuses on the defensive end and commit- ment to detail, has given Ovechkin new life.
Ovechkin’s “down year” featured a stat line of 32 goals and 85 total points. Most players in the NHL would kill for those kinds of numbers, but because the standard for Ovechkin is to lead the league in goals every season, it was widely considered as a “down year.”
Raw Talent:
Whether you want to hear it or not, Ovechkin is a once in a generation player, on and off the ice.
After his two-goal performance earlier in the season against St. Louis, he became the Capitals all-time leader in multi-goal games. Also, earlier this season, he also became the Capitals all-time goal scorer, passing the now retired Capitals great, Peter Bondra. Soon Ovechkin will not be breaking all-time Capitals records, he will be breaking all-time re- cords for the NHL. If it wasn’t for the stellar play of Nicklas Backstrom, Ovechkin would have become the franchise leader in assists as well.
Should Ovechkin finish the season on the top of the goal scorers list, he will have won the Rocket Richard Trophy for a fifth time. If Ovechkin is able accomplish this feat, he will
become the fifth player in NHL history to lead the league in scoring at least five times.
There is no doubt that Ovechkin is one of the best goal scorers in the NHL to date. For the past 10 seasons, Ovechkin has provided the NHL with dazzling goals, uncanny shots and a world of entertainment.
As Ovechkin climbs the all-time scoring list for the NHL, hockey fans from all teams will be forced to respect the Great 8 like all Washington Capitals fans do, whether they like it or not.