Alex Ovechkin Makes History with 19th Consecutive 20-Goal Season
On Monday night, Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin added another notch to his Hall of Fame belt when scoring his 20th and 21st goals of the season against the Calgary Flames. His 20th goal of the season marked the 19th straight year that Ovechkin eclipsed the 20-goal mark. This accomplishment of 20 goals in 19 consecutive seasons has only been done by two players in NHL history: Hall of Farmers Gordie Howe and Brandon Shanahan. Howe holds the record with 22 straight 20-goal seasons, but Ovechkin is the only one out of the three to do it from the start of his career.
This is yet another milestone in Alex Ovechkin's historic career; what makes this streak even more impressive is the fact that it was able to survive two shortened seasons: the lockout season of 2012-13 and the pandemic season of 2020. There could still be even more records to be broken on the horizon. With his two goals on Monday night, Ovechkin now has 843 career goals, putting him 51 goals behind the great Wayne Gretzky for the all-time goals record. No one is really sure how long Ovechkin will continue to lace up the skates, but if he continues to stay healthy, he could present a significant threat to Gretzky’s record.
Not only is Ovechkin continuing to chase history this season, but he is also chasing a playoff spot with the Capitals. Washington is one point behind the Detroit Red Wings for the second Eastern Conference Wild Card spot with just 15 regular season games to play, including two games against Detroit. Washington also sits just three points behind the Philadelphia Flyers for third place in the Metropolitan division. That standing is significant because the top three seeds in each division automatically qualify for the playoffs without having to be a wild card team. The Capitals are riding momentum thanks largely to Ovechkin, as they have won three games in a row and six of their last 10. It is bound to be an exciting race to the finish for Ovechkin and the Capitals.
