Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin sets new NHL record with 18th 30-goal season
Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin scored his 30th goal of the 2023-24 season on Tuesday evening to set a new National Hockey League record for the most career 30-goal seasons by a single player.
Ovechkin, 38, scored late in the second period of Tuesday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings to reach the 30-goal mark for the 18th time in his career, eclipsing the record previously held by former Capitals forward Mike Gartner.
Streaking down the left wing in the Detroit defensive zone, Ovechkin unleashed a heavy wrist shot that eluded Red Wings goaltender Alex Lyon with just 7.2 seconds remaining in the second period. T.J. Oshie picked up the lone assist on Ovechkin’s milestone marker.
Ovechkin now sits just 42 goals back of Wayne Gretzky’s career record for most goals by a single NHL player. Gretzky managed 894 goals over his 20-year NHL career; Ovechkin is currently at 852 with just one week remaining in the 2023-24 season.
Alexander Ovechkin scores his 30th of the year for the 18th time in his career! 🦅
That's the most 30-goal seasons in NHL history! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/BYS04fbSQU
Tuesday’s game between the Red Wings and Capitals had massive ramifications in the Eastern Conference playoff race. The Red Wings occupied the second wild card spot in the East heading into Tuesday’s action; the Capitals sat just one point behind them with the same number of games played.
Dylan Strome scored just 2:05 before Ovechkin’s goal to put the Capitals up 1-0 late in the second period. Ovechkin and Strome rank first and second on the Capitals with 30 and 27 goals this season, respectively.
After fighting through an uncharacteristic scoring slump during the first half of the 2023-24 season, Ovechkin has kicked into an entirely new gear over the back nine. The veteran winger now has 22 goals over his last 32 games after scoring just eight times in his first 43 games of the year.
The Capitals originally selected Ovechkin with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 NHL Draft. The Moscow, Russia product made an immediate impact in the NHL, winning the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league’s top rookie after scoring 52 goals in the 2005-06 season. He won the Stanley Cup with the Capitals in 2018 and has three times been awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league’s most valuable player.
Ovechkin is widely regarded as the greatest goal-scorer in NHL history. In addition to his 18 30-goal seasons, Ovechkin has reached the 50-goal mark nine times and is also a nine-time recipient of the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy. He is one of only three players in NHL history to score more than 800 goals.
Through 1,422 career games over 19 seasons with the Capitals, Ovechkin has collected 852 goals and 1,548 points. He’s added 72 goals and 141 points in 147 playoff contests and wonn the Conn Smythe Trophy as NHL playoff MVP in 2018.