Ageless wonder Alex Ovechkin is on a heater that no other player in NHL history has accomplished late in their careers.
After scoring against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings this past weekend, Ovechkin notched his 16th and 17th goals of the 2024-25 campaign. In the process, he broke Brendan Shanahan’s record for the most goals by a player age 36 or older in their first 20 games played of a season.
The 39-year-old Ovechkin played the Capitals’ first 18 games of the 2024-25 season before missing the Capitals’ next 16 games due to a broken fibula. He returned Saturday, December 28 against Toronto and scored in both games of the Capitals’ back-to-back.
Per TSN’s Stats Centre, Ovechkin beat out Shanahan (656 career goals), Didier Pitre, Marcel Dionne (731g), and Dino Ciccarelli (608g) who are all Hockey Hall of Famers.
Most goals by a player 36 or older in their first 20 games played of a season
| Player | Season | Age | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Ovechkin | 2024-25 | 39 | 17 |
| Brendan Shanahan | 2006-07 | 37 | 15 |
| Didier Pitre | 1919-20 | 36 | 14 |
| Didier Pitre | 1920-21 | 37 | 14 |
| Marcel Dionne | 1987-88 | 36 | 14 |
| Dino Ciccarelli | 1996-97 | 36 | 14 |
Worth noting: Pitre played his first season in the newly-formed National Hockey League during the 1917-18 season as a member of the Montreal Canadiens after beginning his career in the National Hockey Association and Pacific Coast Hockey Association. Pitre earned the nickname “Cannonball” due to his hard shot and scored 99 points (64 goals, 35 assists) in 127 NHL games. (Source: NHL.com)
When compared to any aged player in the NHL currently, Ovechkin is also holding his own. Despite missing 44 percent of the season thus far, Ovi’s tied with four other players for 14th in the NHL in total goals and leads the Capitals in the category, recently retaking the lead from Connor McMichael (16).
Ovechkin is averaging 0.85 goals-per-game, the highest of his career, and has the highest goals-per-60 number in the NHL.
Ovi’s doing things that have never been done and more history will soon be made.
