Okay a lot of sportswriters are writing about this topic or will this 2021-2022 NHL Season. Ovechkin moved to number 5 on the list in the Washington Capitals season opening night win over the New York Rangers on Wednesday evening. But how big is it? and who are these legends and names Ovechkin keeps humbly referring to the honor he feels to be among them? Well its a huge deal, and they are really, really hockey greats like really GOAT (Greatest of All Time) kind of players. Over the next couple of weeks I'll research and blog more about this. I've been a hockey fan for 50+ years and played the game in my own marginal fashion from age 8 (midget hockey) through age 27 (beer league) following being a second rate player on a DIII team in college. The names on the top 50 all time list include players I loved to watch when I was a high schooler and college age avid NHL fan. I'll blog about them, when the tribute from Marcel Dionne was upon the Jumbotron after the Great 8 scored his second goal at the opener, I recalled watching Dionne streak down the ice in his yellow and purple Kings colors past my then team the Flyers (don't hate I grew up in Philadelphia) and put the biscuit in the basket past Bernie Parent thinking: "How could that happen Kate Smith sang "God Bless America" tonight? But I digress.
Let's start putting the overall achievement and magnitude of what we Capitals fans have been seeing from Ovechkin since he came into the NHL into context. First of the current all time NHL goal scoring list only three (3) of the fifty (50) are currently active players on NHL rosters on any of the current 32 teams: Ovechkin at 5; Patrick Marleau at 23; and Sidney Crosby at 49. There is no doubt in my mind that those three men are hockey players who are of generational talent level skill and accomplishment; and they will be first ballot HHOF members. One only has to look at the other 47 names on that list to confirm that statment. Of the top 50 listed number 50, Brian Bellows, had 485 goals in 1188 games played over his; compare that to Ovechkin's 732 as of Wed. night in 1198 games; compare Ovechkin's 732 in 1198 games to all time number 4) Brett Hull's 741 goals in 1269 games or all time number 3) Jaromir Jagr's 766 goals in 1733 games and then you can understand why a lot of people including myself think Alex Ovechkin could indeed possibly surpass both Mr. Hockey Gordie Howe at the number 2 spot with his 801 goals on the list and even, maybe, just maybe The Great Gretzky for the number one spot with his 894 goals, though I expect for Ovechkin to do so will take the full length of the five seasons he has on contract through the 2025-2026 NHL Season.
As I look at more of this and put where Ovechkin falls on this list, I plan on researching and looking at the careers first of the other 9 names on the top 10 all-time goal scorers list. I also plan to look closer at Alex Ovechkin's career and what roles and how important he has and continues to be to my now favorite team the Washington Capitals, hoping to explain why I think people who feel Ovechkin isn't a 200 foot player and so much more important to the Capitals than "a great goal scorer" really are not correct.
The top 10 list has the following names on it:
10) Steve Yzerman: 692 goals; 1514 games played
9) Mark Messier: 694 goals; 1756 games played
8) Mike Gartner: 708 goals; 1432 games played
7) Phil Esposito: 717 goals; 1282 games played
6) Marcel Dionne: 731 goals; 1348 games played
4) Brett Hull: 741 goals; 1269 games played
3) Jaromir Jagr: 766 goals; 1733 games played
2) Gordie Howe: 801 goals; 1767 games played
1) Wayne Gretzky: 894 goals; 1487 games played.
I expect it will take a fair amount of time and effort to research and compose these nine blogs but I think it will be worth it and very interesting to do it. If the results are as enjoyable to do that as I think it will be I'll do more of that sort of stuff and be posting more of these sorts of thing in addition to my fanboy type posts when I go to games as part of the Season Tickets I share or watch on TV. After the past 18 months of this pandemic stuff these sorts of exercises are more interesting diversions for me than contemplating my navel or other things.
In the meantime:
LETS GO CAPS!!!
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