Alex Ovechkin 2022 Report Card
Next up on our Washington Capitals player report card series is none other than the captain Alex Ovechkin. To be honest, grading Ovechkin’s performance on these report cards is probably the easiest and for good reason. This was his age 36 season and it didn’t stop him from reaching 50 goals.
Many people thought Ovechkin was done. Some pundits even said he wouldn’t reach 30 goals and that he was done, washed up. He proved them all wrong with 90 points with 40 assists added to those 50 goals.
Perhaps the assist category is one thing many people overlook because of the great eight’s natural ability to score goals. His 40 assists were more than double what they were the previous season and he hadn’t had 40 or more assists since the 2010-11 season.
Ovechkin got his scoring started by scoring two goals on opening night including his first shorthanded goal in more than 12 years. He not only did that but also assisted on Washington’s first two goals and scored their last two for a four point night. His two goals performance passed Marcel Dionne to move into fifth place.
And he didn’t stop there.
Less than a month later Ovechkin would score in Columbus against the Blue Jackets for the 742nd of his career to pass Brett Hull for fourth place. Fast forward to March against the New York Islanders and Ovechkin would hit 767 to pass Jaromir Jagr and move into third place all time.
Ovechkin now has 780. He’s 21 away from number two Gordie Howe and 114 from number one Wayne Gretzky. He could very well pass Howe next season and Gretzky the season after that if he keeps up his torrid pace. It won’t be easy though. He turns 37 in September and the old core will be one year older than they were when they got bounced in the first round by the Florida Panthers.
Ovechkin didn’t get hurt until the end of the season with less than a week left until the playoffs. He sat out the final three games as precaution so he could play in the playoffs. He had one goal and five assists for six points in that first round defeat.
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Grade A+: Alex Ovechkin had another incredible season and showed that he was well worth that contract extension that he signed last summer. Now he has a whole summer to heal up from his late season injury that he played through in the playoffs and hopes to be full go for next season. For now though, he’s enjoying time with his family as he finally reunited with his wife and two sons.