Alex Ovechkin scored his 888th career goal in the Washington Capitals’ 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday. Taking a pass from Aliaksei Protas, Ovechkin got just enough of the puck to beat Flyers goaltender Samuel Ersson to the far post.
“It was great play,” Ovechkin said. “We’ll take it and move on.”
The tally not only put Ovechkin seven goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL goals record, but also marked his 35th goal of the 2024-25 campaign, giving Ovi his fifteenth career 35-goal season — an NHL record.
Ovechkin passed former Capital Mike Gartner to jump into the top spot. Only 12 players in NHL history have had 10 35-goal seasons or more.
Most 35-goal seasons in NHL history
| Player | Team(s) | Seasons | First Season | Last Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Ovechkin | WSH | 15 | 2005-06 | 2024-25 |
| Mike Gartner | WSH, NYR, TOR | 14 | 1979-80 | 1995-96 |
| Wayne Gretzky | EDM, LAK | 13 | 1979-80 | 1993-94 |
| Marcel Dionne | DET, LAK | 13 | 1972-73 | 1985-86 |
| Luc Robitaille | LAK | 11 | 1986-87 | 2000-01 |
| Mario Lemieux | PIT | 11 | 1984-85 | 2000-01 |
| Dino Ciccarelli | MNS, WSH, DET, TBL | 11 | 1981-82 | 1996-97 |
| Phil Esposito | BOS, NYR | 11 | 1967-68 | 1978-79 |
| Bobby Hull | CHI | 11 | 1959-60 | 1971-72 |
| Brett Hull | STL, DAL, DET | 10 | 1988-89 | 2002-03 |
| Mark Messier | EDM, NYR | 10 | 1981-82 | 1996-97 |
| Mike Bossy | NYI | 10 | 1977-78 | 1986-87 |
Recently, Gartner spoke to Monumental Sports Network’s Al Koken about what makes Ovechkin such a consistent goal-scorer.
“I think the biggest thing is, apart from his recent injuries, his durability,” Gartner said. “He’s a big man. He’s a guy that commands a lot of respect on the ice and can get room for himself on the ice. He does all the things a goal-scorer has to do. He’s got a great shot, a great release. He shoots the puck a lot of times. The volume of shots is remarkable. The one thing that Alex Ovechkin does that maybe better than any goal-scorer is he can be open for one second and that’s all it takes, just to be open for one second. And then the puck is in the net. That’s the thing I appreciate most about watching him play.”
Ovechkin has 13 more games to light the lamp five more times and reach the 40-goal plateau for the 14th time. Ovi already owns the record after notching his 13th 40-goal season during the 2022-23 season, leapfrogging over Wayne Gretzky’s 12 40-goal campaigns.