Alex Ovechkin He tied Mike Gartner for the most 30-goal seasons in NHL history with 17 when he scored for the Washington Capitals against the Philadelphia Flyers at Capital One Arena on Saturday.
The 37-year-old left wing scored his 30th A backhand off his own rebound in front of the goal to tie it 1-1 at 17:56 of the first period.
Ovechkin has scored at least 30 goals in all but one of his 18 NHL seasons, that coming when he scored 24 goals in 45 games in 2020-21, when the League played a 56-game schedule because of concerns surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. Gartner, who played his first 10 NHL seasons with the Capitals and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001, scored at least 30 goals in 17 of his 19 seasons before retiring in 1998.
Although Ovechkin (2005-06 to 2019-20) and Gartner (1979-80 to 1993-94) share the NHL record of 15 consecutive 30-goal seasons with Jaromir Jagr (1991-92 to 2006-07), they are the only ones. players to score at least 30 goals in each of their first 15.
Much like Ovechkin, Gartner’s streak ended when he scored 12 goals in 38 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs during the lockout-shortened 1994-95 season. He then scored 35 goals with Toronto in 1995-96, and 32 with the Phoenix Coyotes in 1996-97.
Ovechkin, who has 10 goals in his past 10 games, has scored 30 goals in 45 games this season and is on pace to finish with 54. That would be his most since he scored 56 goals in 2008-09.
If he reaches that mark, Ovechkin would also pass Wayne Gretzky for the most 40-goal seasons in NHL history with 13, and Gretzky and Mike Bossy for the most 50-goal seasons with 10.
Selected by Washington with the No. 1 pick in the 2004 NHL Draft, Ovechkin is second in league history with 810 goals in 1,319 games, trailing only Gretzky (894). Ovechkin previously passed Gordie Howe for second when he scored No. 802 against the Winnipeg Jets on Dec. 23.
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