What more could Washington Capitals icon Alex Ovechkin accomplish in his career? He helped lead the Capitals to a Stanley Cup championship in 2018 and recently became the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer.
Even with 897 goals under his belt, there are still a few career milestones and records the Capitals captain could add to his Hall of Fame resume. What kind of history can Ovechkin make during his possible final season in the NHL?
The first and easiest milestone Ovechkin can reach during the 2025-26 campaign is becoming the first NHLer to ever hit the 900 goals mark. Wayne Gretzky only scored 894 career goals, a number since surpassed by Ovechkin, but he’s yet to hit 900.
Ovechkin needs just three tallies to hit the milestone, something that could legitimately happen on opening night. Ovechkin has always had a flair for the dramatic and it wouldn’t be out of the question for the game’s greatest goal scorer to open his 21st NHL season with a hat trick.
Of his 32-career regular season hat tricks, only one has come during the Capitals’ first game of the season. To kick off the 2017-18 season, Ovechkin scored three goals against the Ottawa Senators in a 5-4 shootout win. Two nights later, Ovechkin scored four goals to give him seven on the year just two games in.
If Ovechkin wants to prove he still has a lot of goal scoring left in the tank, he’ll want to make an impact on the season right away. Hitting the 900 goals mark early will be the perfect way to show the league he still means business.
Becoming the first player to ever hit 1,000 goals will take some time, and only Ovechkin knows if that’s a milestone he wants to go for. Before considering 1,000 goals as a possibility, however, Ovechkin has a chance to break a very specific record in NHL history.
Gordie Howe scored 44 goals at the age of 40 during the 1968-69 season. Ovechkin scored 44 goals last year at the age of 39. Can he replicate that goal total one more time? Or even add another tally to become the record holder for most goals by a 40-year-old?
Ovechkin missed 17 games in 2024-25 with a lower-body injury, yet still put up 44 goals. If he stays healthy this year and the pace of scoring doesn’t go down, it’s on the table Ovechkin hits the mark.
Even deep into his career, Ovechkin is still a goal scoring threat. The all-time goals record is his, but he’ll look to add to it, possibly making his own “unbreakable record.”
