Washington Capitals: Top 30 Players In Franchise History

Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Alex Ovechkin

Coming in at number one on our list of the greatest Washington Capitals players in franchise history is forward Alex Ovechkin. Ovechkin is currently in his 11th season with the Caps and has already either broken or is well on his way to breaking most of the franchise’s all-time records.

Ovechkin cemented his spot atop this list last season when he bested Bondra’s franchise records in goals and points. It’s hard to imagine that he has already played in 775 games with the Caps (as of November 15th, 2015). It seems like only yesterday he was a record-setting rookie along with rival Sidney Crosby.

Ovechkin has won countless awards, but here are just some of the highlights.

• Five-time Rocket Richard Trophy winner (most goals scored in a season)
• Three-time Hart Trophy winner (and he has finished second twice)
• Calder Trophy winner (when he had to compete against Crosby)
• Art Ross Trophy winner

Ovechkin is going to continue to crush records and probably has at least seven seasons of hockey left in him (likely more). When he retires, he’s going to be mentioned among the legends. Gretzky, Lemieux, Messier, Howe, Orr. Ovechkin is comparable to all of those players thus far in his career. Whether or not he wins a Cup is irrelevant to Ovechkin’s talent and skill, which is the kind you see maybe once or twice in a generation. If the Caps don’t win a Cup with Ovechkin, the Caps should be extremely embarrassed to have wasted such an extraordinary talent.