Washington Capitals: Top 25 greatest players of all-time

#24 Tom Wilson

Tom Wilson is one of those players that’s hated by fans of other teams but they would love to have them on their team in a heartbeat. The Philadelphia Flyers sure wish they had him.

Wilson will be hurt this upcoming season but should be back around the holidays. He makes a big impact when he’s on the ice and his presence is in full view. Starting out an an enforcer, Wilson cleaned up his game and is now a gifted goal scorer. That’s not all he’s gifted with.

Wilson was key in helping the Caps win the Stanley Cup in 2018. He was selected by the Caps as the 16th overall pick in the first round in the 2012 NHL Draft.

Last season Wilson had a career high 24 goals and 28 assists for 52 points. I doubt he will score 30 goals this season since he starts the year injured but if he did that would be amazing. He can definitely do it if he played a full 82 games.

Wilson has skated in 647 career games with the Caps over nine years. He has 115 goals and 158 assists for 273 points. During the Cup run in 2018 he had five goals and 10 assists for 15 points. He could be ranked higher if we do this again in five years.

#23 Evgeny Kuznetsov

Evgeny Kuznetsov was drafted by the Capitals with the 26th overall pick in the first round of the 2010 NHL Draft and in March of 2014 made his NHL debut.

On Opening Night against the Boston Bruins this year, Kuznetsov will skate in his 600th NHL game. So far in his career he’s recorded 153 goals and 343 assists for 496 points. So if he has an offensive explosion he could very well get his 500th point that night too. That would be something and would kickstart a new revenge tour.

In the playoffs Kuzy has skated in 87 games recording 29 goals and 38 assists for 67 points. In their run to the Cup, he was amazing as he led the team with 20 assists and 32 points to go along with 12 goals.

A lot of his playoff goals have been clutch. When he was just 22 he had the game winning goal in Game 7 of the 2015 first round series against the New York Islanders.

During the year of the Cup run, he had the overtime game winner to finally eliminate the hated Pittsburgh Penguins and end their second round curse.

Last season he had 24 goals and 54 assists for 78 points as well as five points in six playoff games with two goals and three assists.

#22 Adam Oates

As a coach Adam Oates wasn’t so good. But as a player he was great. On March 1, 1997, Oates was traded by the Boston Bruins with Bill Ranford and rich Tocchet to the Washington Capitals. The Caps sent over a 1997 third rounder (Lee Goren), Jason Allison, Jim Carey and Anson Carter.

Oates finished that season with four goals and eight assists for 12 points in 17 games. In 1997-98 he helped lead the Caps to their first Stanley Cup Finals. In the regular season he had 18 goals and 58 assists for 76 points. In the playoffs that year he had six goals and 11 assists for 17 points in 21 games.

In 1998-99 Oates recorded 12 goals and 42 assists for 54 points. The next year he had 15 goals and 56 assists for 71 points.

In 2000-01 Oates led the league in assists with 69 to go along with 13 goals for 82 points. 2001-02 was Oates last season in D.C. He had 11 goals and 57 assists for 68 points in 66 games before he was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers.

The return in that trade was for draft picks that never turned out to be anything for the Caps.

In six years with he Caps and 387 games Oates recorded 73 points and 290 assists for 363 points. Oates would coach the Caps for two seasons before getting fired after failing to guide them to the playoffs in the 2013-14 season.

#21 Mike Green

Mike Green was the offensive defenseman of the Young Guns. It was the nickname for Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin, Nicklas Backstrom, and Green. This was just the beginning of the “Rock the Red” era in the late 2000’s.

Each of the young guns bypassed 500 points in their respective NHL careers including Green. He retired in 2020. He wasn’t good during the tail end of his career but when he was with the Caps at his prime, he was very elite.

Green was selected in the first round of the 2004 NHL Draft at 29th overall. That was the same draft round they took Ovechkin in as he was taken number one.

In 2007-08, it was his first full NHL season and he had 18 goals and 38 assists for 56 points. The next year was his best offensive season as he had 31 goals and 42 assists for 73 points. That included breaking the NHL record for consecutive goals scored streak by a defensemen with eight games in a row.

In 2009-10, Green had 19 goals and 57 assists for 76 points. The next couple seasons he dealt with injuries but rebounded playing more games in his final three seasons.

In all, Green spent 10 years with the Capitals with 575 games played, 113 goals and 247 assists for 360 points.

#20 Dino Ciccarelli

Dino Ciccarelli was traded to the Capitals in March of 1989 from the Minnesota North Stars. He was traded with defenseman Bob Rouse for sniper Mike Gartner and offensive defenseman Larry Murphy.

Ciccarelli played a gritty style with the Capitals and scored goals at a consistent rate. But the Caps repeated playoff failures caused them to trade Ciccarelli to the Detroit Red Wings for Kevin Miller during the summer of 1992.

In 1988-89 Cicarelli had 12 goals and three assists for 15 points in 11 games. In his first full season with the Caps he had 41 goals and 38 assists for 79 points.

The next year he had 21 goals and 18 assists for 39 points. In his final season in D.C. he had 38 goals and 38 assists for 76 points.

In four seasons with the Caps and 223 games, Ciccarelli had 112 goals and 97 assists for 209 points. He would end up having a hall of fame career.

In addition to the Capitals, the North Stars and the Red Wings, Ciccarelli also played with the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Florida Panthers.

In all he scored 1,200 points in his NHL career and his 608 career goals are the most goals scored by a draft eligible player that wasn’t drafted by an NHL team. 2010 was when he went to the Hockey Hall of Fame and the Caps even welcomed him for a game that season.

#19 Braden Holtby

Braden Holtby may likely be hanging up his skates after his injury issues last season. But he will always be a legend among Caps fans because of The Save. But he’s remembered for much more than that too.

Holtby faced his team for the first time as a member of the Dallas Stars in January. He talked to Samantha Pell of The Washington Post (subscription required): 

“It’s home where your kids grew up, where we basically grew up. We were there when we became adults. That’s home. You see that a little more clearly, especially this last year without getting to see anyone a lot more, you miss the people. You miss the conversations and people you put mutual trust in to talk stuff over with. It’s strange and something I never really thought I would be doing. You always envision staying in one spot forever.”

Holtby won the Vezina Trophy in D.C. as the league’s top goaltender and helped lead the Caps to the Cup in 2018. Though the ending was rough and in the end the Caps couldn’t afford to keep him with the tight salary cap situation.

Fans got to give him a heroes welcome in March.

#18 Yvon Labre

Yvon Labre was one of 24 players the were chosen by the Washington Capitals during their expansion draft. He was one of only two of those 24 players that remained on the Caps roster throughout their first season in the NHL.

Perhaps drawing first blood of a rivalry, Labre came from the Pittsburgh Penguins system and was a defenseman from Northern Ontario.

During the infancy of the Caps, there wasn’t a lot for fans to cheer about. But Labre was one of the few bright spots. He led he Caps in penalty minutes in each of the team’s first two seasons. He also led Washington defensemen in scoring during the inaugural season.

Labre also scored the Capitals first ever goal at the Capital Centre and served as team captain from Jan. 1976 through Nov. 1978. He played regularly on the blue line until a series of injuries messed up his career.

Labre was one of the last original Capitals to skate for Washington. He got his number retired on Nov. 7, 1981 and he remained with the team for most of the next two decades after hanging up his skates.

That included roles as an assistant coach, a TV color commentator, and the director of community relations.

#17 Sergei Gonchar

Sergei Gonchar was one of the best defenseman to suit up for the Washington Capitals. He was drafted in the first round of the 1992 NHL Draft by the Caps at 14th overall. He was a defenseman with offensive skills.

He made his NHL debut on Feb. 7, 1995 in Buffalo against the Sabres and appeared in 31 games the remainder of that regular season recording seven points with two goals and five assists while adding a two goal performance in the Caps first round playoff series against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Gonchar broke out the next season recording 41 points in 78 games in 1995-96 with 15 goal and 26 assists. After a 30 point season in 1996-97 where he finished with 13 goals and 17 assists, Gonchar finish the 1997-98 regular season with 21 points in 72 games which is five goals and 16 assists.

In the spring he helped lead the Caps to an Eastern Conference championship. He had seven goals and four assists for 11 points.

In 1998-99, Gonchar became the first Russian defenseman to score over 20 goals in the regular season with 21 goals and 10 assists in 53 games. He then shattered the 50 point plateau the next season with 54 which was 18 goals and 36 assists.

He never looked back the rest of his time in Washington.

#16 Dennis Maruk

Dennis Maruk was a short player with a big heart and he even had a season that was better than Alex Ovechkin. The best season Ovechkin had was when he recorded 112 points. Maruk during the 1981-82 regular season recorded 136 points with 60 goals and 70 assists. But hey Ovi scored more goals so that’s all that matters.

Maruk was traded to the Capitals by Minnesota in the beginning of the 1978-79 season. He went on to score 31 goals and add 59 assists for 90 points. The assists and points led the team while his 31 goals were tied for the team lead.

The next season saw him score 10 goals and 17 assists for 27 points in 27 games. The numbers may have dipped but it also was an injury plagued season.

In the 1980-81 season Maruk scored 50 goals and had 47 assists for 90 points. Then came that ginormous 136 point season. The next season he had 31 goals and 50 assists for 81 points and also had an assist in four playoff games.

He was traded back to the Minnesota North Stars in July of 1983 for a second round pick the next year that turned out to be Stephen Leach.

Maruk was one of the most unique players in the NHL and had the nickname pee wee.

#15 Mike Ridley

Mike Ridley battled injuries which led him to getting undrafted. He still signed as a free agent with the New York Rangers. In his second season, he was traded to the Washington Capitals.

He made a name for himself with the Caps by finishing the 1986-87 season with 15 goals and 19 assists for 34 points in 40 games. In his first full season he had 28 goals and 31 assists for 59 points. In 1988-89 he broke out with 41 goals and 48 assists for 89 points.

The next year his numbers dipped as he scored 30 goals and 43 assists for 83 points. The next year it dropped to 23 goals and 48 assists for 89 points before he rebounded with 29 goals and 40 assists for a nice 69 points.

Ridley’s final two seasons with the Capitals saw him score back to back 26 goal campaigns. On June 28, 1994, Ridley was traded by the Capitals to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Ridley would finish out his career both there and the Vancouver Canucks. In his eight seasons with the Caps he recorded 218 goals and 329 assists for 547 points.

His story goes to show how far you can go if you never give up. If you don’t get drafted don’t get discouraged as there is still hope. Again never give up.

#14 Kelly Miller

Kelly Miller was a good playmaker and checker that played nearly 1,000 NHL games in the 1980s and 90s. He was an elite passer and dangerous on the face offs.

Miller was born in Lansing, Michigan and chosen 183rd overall by the New York Rangers in 1982 after a good freshman year at Michigan State. He represented the U.S. in the 1982 and 1983 World Junior Championships and was named to the CCHA first all star team after scoring 50 points as a captain of the Spartans in 1984-85.

Later that season Miller joined the Rangers for five regular season games and three playoff games before playing for Team USA at the World Championships.

In 1985-86, Miller scored 13 goals and helped the Rangers reach the Prince of Wales Conference finals thanks to his two way game. The next year he got traded to the Washington Capitals along with Mike Ridley for former 50 goal scorer Bob Carpenter.

Miller was one of the best Caps players for many years on both offense and defense. On offense, he was creative. On defense, he was willing to stay with his man and wasn’t afraid to back check.

Miller helped the Caps reach the Stanley Cup semi finals in 1990 and the Stanley Cup Finals in 1998. In addition he was the Caps NHLPA representative and twice served as an interim team captain.

#13 Guy Charron

Guy Charron was one of the best Washington Capitals moves in their infancy. Just before training camp for the 1976-77 season, the Capitals signed Charron to a free agent contract.

As compensation, the Caps sent winger Nelson Pyatt to the Colorado Rockies who were the Kansas City Scouts at the time.

Charron began his career with the Montreal Canadiens in 1969-70, a brief stay before he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings in Jan. 1971. It was a trade that sent Frank Mahovolich to the Habs.

Charron enjoyed a 25 goal season with the Red Wings in 1973-74 before going to Kansas City during a deal in their inaugural season. He scored 27 goals and 71 points for the Scouts in 1975-76 which was his best season up until that point.

Charron used those skills to become an offensive threat in Washington and also had good defensive and face off skills. Charron played in all 80 games in each of his first three seasons with the Caps, compiling 70 or more points in each season and amassing 36, 38, and 28 goals, respectively.

Charron led the Caps in goals and scoring in each of his first two seasons with the squad and was the Caps all star representative in 1977.

The next year he was team captain but injuries affected his play. He ended his career at the end of the 1980-81 season.

#12 Calle Johansson

Calle Johansson was a Swedish legend. He was the first round draft pick at 14th overall by the Buffalo Sabres at the 1985 NHL Entry Draft.

He joined Buffalo in 1987-88 and impressed with 42 points and was selected to the NHL All Rookie Team. That year he led all first year players with a plus minus rating of a plus 12 and finished second with 38 points.

He got off to a slow start the next season and was included in a multi player deal with the Capitals that gave the Sabres Clint Malarchuk.

Johansson became a fixture on the Capitals blue line. He scored at least 40 points four times and was a major part of the Caps special teams and in transition. He helped the Cpas reach the semifinals in 1990 and the Stanley Cup Final in 1998.

In 1999-00 he led all NHL defensemen with 2,389 shifts. He went on to play 15 seasons with the Caps before calling it a career at the end of the 2002-03 season. But he did get signed by the Toronto Maple Leafs at the trade deadline the next year.

They failed to win the Cup that year. Shocker. Then Johansson retired. He played in 983 games with the Washington Capitals.

#11 Michal Pivonka

Michal Pivonka was selected by the Washington Capitals in the third round at 59th overall in the 1984 NHL Draft. He spent all 13 years of his NHL career with the Caps.

Appearing in 825 games total he scored 181 goals and added 418 assists for 599 points. His rookie season was in 1986-87 which was a year he scored 18 goals and 25 assists for 43 points.

The following year he scored 11 goals and added 23 assists for 35 points. His next year saw him score eight goals and 19 assists for 27 points.

He bounced back in 1989-90 with a career high 25 goals and 39 assists for 64 points. The next year he had 20 goals and 50 assists for 70 points.

In 1991-92 Pivonka had 23 goals and 57 assists for 80 points. The next year he had 21 goals and 53 assists for 74 points. He then added 14 and 10 goals, respectively, the next two seasons. In 1995-96 he recorded 16 goals and added 65 assists for 81 points.

Pivonka was an original playmaking center that was like a 1980s and 1990s version of Nicklas Backstrom. In 825 career Capitals games spanning 13 years he recorded 181 goals and 418 points for 599 points.

Pivonka was very close to 600 NHL points and was probably one of the best players to not reach that elusive number. Still he is a center that will be remembered forever.

#10 Bengt Ake Gustafsson

Bengt Ake Gustafsson was drafted by the Capitals in the fourth round at 55th overall in the 1978 NHL Draft. He made his Caps debut in the 1979-80 season and scored 22 goals and added 38 assists for 60 points.

The next year he added 21 goals and 34 assists for 55 points. He was even better his third season with 26 goals and 34 assists for 60 points.

In 1982-83, Gustafsson scored 22 goals and 42 assists for 64 points. In 1983-94 he had a career high of 32 goals and 43 assists for 75 points.

The next year he had 13 goals and 29 assists for 42 points and bounced back the next year with 23 goals and 52 assists for 75 points.

The last two years saw him score back to back 18 goals seasons with 36 assists for 54 points in 1987-88 and 51 assists for a nice 69 points in 1988-89.

Overall he spent nine seasons with the Caps and scored a total of 195 goals and 359 assists for 554 points. he played in 629 games. He is ranked among the best players in franchise history.

In that 1983-84 season where he scored a career high 32 goals and 75 points, he played with line mates Dave Christian and Mike Gartner.

He had a memorable game on Jan. 8, 1984 where he tied a club record for the most goals in a game with five.

#9 Kevin Hatcher

Kevin Hatcher was one of the Washington Capitals original offensive defensemen. Drafted by the Caps with the 17th pick in the first round in 1984, Hatcher stood at six foot three and 230 pounds, making him a polarizing defenseman with a two way game.

The Caps recalled Hatcher towards the end of the 1984-85 season. He made his NHL debut in Pittsburgh against the Penguins on April 6, 1985 and scored his first NHL goal the next night at the Capital Centre against the Penguins on the back half of a home and home series.

Hatcher’s first full season saw him record 19 points with nine goals and 10 assists in 79 games. His numbers went up his third season with 14 goals and 27 assists for 41 points including career high 144 penalty minutes in 78 regular season games.

Hatcher was also clutch in the playoffs with five goals and seven assists with all five goals coming in Washington’s first round series win over the Philadelphia Flyers in the spring of 1988 thanks to his five goal effort and Dale Hunter’s overtime heroics in Game 7.

Hatcher’s final season turned out to be in 1993-94 as he finished with 16 goals and 24 assists for 40 points. The Caps would trade him to the Dallas Stars.

#8 Scott Stevens

The Caps were still relatively new when they drafted Scott Stevens at fifth overall in the first round of the 1982 NHL Draft. The Washington Capitals would enter that 1982-83 season with some blue liners banged up which opened up a spot for the 18 year old to make the team right out of training camp.

Stevens scored his first career NHL goal on his first shot and finished with 25 points with nine goals and 16 assists in 77 games. He finished third in the Calder Cup trophy voting as the NHL’s rookie of the year and led all rookies with 195 penalty minutes.

In addition he made the All Rookie team and was named the Capitals Rookie of the Year. The Caps made the playoffs that season and continued to do so in each of his eight seasons in Washington.

His offensive numbers jumped to 13 goals and 32 assists for 45 points in his second season. He was hot tempered at first but learned how to improve his defense from Rod Langway as well as his pairing partner Brian Engblom.

Stevens final season witht he Caps came in 1989-90 before he signed with the St. Louis Blues as a free agent. He won three Stanley Cups with the New Jersey Devils finishing out his 13 year career.

#7 Olaf Kolzig

Olaf Kolzig was drafted by the Washington Capitals with the 19th pick in the 1989 NHL Draft. His first breakout season came in 1997-98 when he had a regular season record of 33-18-10 with a 2.20 goals against average and .920 save percentage.

In the playoffs he helped backstop the Capitals to an Eastern Conference championship. He went 12-9 with a 1.95 goals against average and a playoff leading .941 save percentage as the Caps fell to the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Finals.

In 1999-00, Kolzig won a Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goaltender where he went 41-20-11 with a 2.24 goals against average and a .917 save percentage.

Holtby was decent the next year too with a 37-26-8 record with a 2.48 goals against average and a .909 save percentage. Then after the Caps lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the playoffs it was the beginning of a dark rebuilding era.

During this era, Kolzig was the one veteran constant that remained the same in that locker room and he helped mentor a young Alexander Ovechkin who the Caps tanked to get with the number one pick in 2004.

Kolzig’s final season with the Caps came in 2007-08 and he at least was around the team when they made the playoffs even though the net belonged to trade deadline acquisition Cristobal Huet the rest of the way.

#6 Mike Gartner

Mike Gartner was drafted by the Capitals in the first round at fourth overall in the 1979 NHL Draft. He’s also the most recent Capitals player to have his number retired back in Dec. of 2008.

His first season saw him score 36 goals and add 32 assists for 68 points and there wasn’t a time he didn’t score less than 30 goals during his time in Washington. He won the team’s rookie and MVP awards at the end of the season.

The next year in 1980-81, Gartner scored 48 goals and add 46 assists for 94 points. Gartner added 35 goals and 45 assists for 80 lints the next season then scored 38 goals the next season and 40 after that.

In the 1984-85 season, Gartner scored 50 goals. He also added 35 goals and 40 assists for 75 points in 1985-86. In 1987-88, he scored 48 goals and added 33 assists for 81 points. The next year Gartner had 26 goals and 29 assists for 55 points until he was traded midseason to the Minnesota North Stars.

In 10 years with the Caps, Gartner appeared in 758 games and recorded 397 goals and 392 assists for 789 points. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001. On Dec. 28, 2008 he got his number retired. He holds the NHL record for most consecutive 30 goal seasons but Alex Ovechkin might have something to say about that.

#5 Nicklas Backstrom

Coming in at number five is Nicklas Backstrom who was drafted by the Washington Capitals in the first round of the 2006 NHL Draft at fourth overall. His rookie season in 2007-08 saw him score 14 goals and 55 assists for a nice 69 points.

The next year he broke out and scored 22 goals and 66 assists for 88 points. In the 2009-10 season when the Caps dominated the NHL and won the Presidents Trophy, Backstrom recorded a career high 33 goals and 68 assists for 101 points.

Last season Backstrom appeared in 47 games recording just six goals and 25 assists for 31 points. But he did score his 1,000th career point in March.

When the Caps honored him before a game against the New Jersey Devils for the milestone, fans got apples to commemorate the occasion. When Backstrom scored, fans threw their apples onto the ice in celebration.

It was a bad season for Backstrom but he will always have that moment as well as in 2018 when Alex Ovechkin handed off the Stanley Cup to him and the two skated together with it.

It is likely we’ll be without Backstrom for the entire season as hip injuries when you’re in your mid 30s aren’t a joke. We hope it’s not the end but if it is he had one hell of a career.

#4 Dale Hunter

Dale Hunter was the heart and soul of the Washington Capitals before T.J. Oshie was. He was well respected for his dedication to the game and he got recognized by the team by getting his number retired on March 11, 2000.

His 19 seasons in the NHL, 1,407 regular season games, and 186 playoff games serve as a testimony to that dedication to the game. At the time of his retirement following the 1998-99 season, only seven players in NHL history had appeared in more total games.

Hunter left the game having firmly etched his name in the Capitals record book. In the regular season he finished his career ranked first in penalty minutes with 2,003, second in games played with 872, tied for second in power play goals with 72, third in assists with 375, third in points with 556, tied for fifth in game winning goals with 29 and tied for eighth in goals with 181.

Hunter retired leading the franchise in virtually every category: games played (100), goals (25), assists (47), points (72), power play goals (11) and penalty minutes (372).

Hunter summed up his contributions at his retirement ceremony when he told the fans, “I’m not a Wayne Gretzky. I just tried to give my all every night. That work ethic is what the Caps have always been about.”

He would later coach the Caps for half a season before coaching Connor McMichael and the London Knights before McMichael joined the big leagues.

#3 Rod Langway

Rod Langway was known to many Washington Capitals fans as the “Secretary of Defense”. He anchored the Capitals defense for 11 seasons and over 700 games.

Langway was dealt by the Montreal Canadiens to the Capitals in the “Save the Caps” campaign which was one of the biggest trades in franchise history that helped them turn the corner.

Langway brought instant respectability to the Capitals and they became a hot ticket as his dominating physical presence helped lead the Caps to their first postseason appearance in 1982-83.

The taste of that playoff appearance was a sign of things to come.

The Caps made the playoffs every season while Langway was on the team. He was recognized as the best in the business by capturing back to back Norris Trophies as the league’s top defenseman in 1982-93 and 1983-84.

The Caps recorded more than 100 points in three consecutive seasons including a record 107 point, 50 win year in 1985-86. Langway was a captain for more than a decade and was one of the NHL’s all time greats.

Langway was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2002 and his number was retired by the Capitals on Nov. 26, 1997. He is still seen at games and appears on the video board during the troops recognition shaking their hands.

#2 Peter Bondra

Peter Bondra was drafted by the Washington Capitals in the eighth round at 156th overall in 1990. It was a late round pick that turned out to be a big success. He was one of the Caps best scorers of all time until the next slide at least.

In 1990-91, Bondra had 12 goals and 16 assists for 28 points in 54 games. The next year was his first full season which saw him sore 28 goals and 28 assists for 56 points.

Bondra’s third season saw him breakout with 37 goals and 48 assists for 85 points. The next year he had 24 goals and 19 assists for 43 points. In 1994-95 he led the league with 34 goals during the lockout shortened season in 47 games along with nine assists for 43 points.

The next year he had 52 goals and 28 assists for 80 points. He then had 46 goals and 31 assists for 77 points the next season. In 1997-98 he led the league with 52 goals along with 26 assists for 78 points.

That spring he helped lead the Caps to their first Eastern Conference championship. He had seven goals and five assists for 12 points in 17 games that spring. Hopefully the Caps can retire his number soon.

#1 Alex Ovechkin

The number one Washington Capitals player of all time is Alex Ovechkin. No doubt.

He is more than just a number one pick in the 2004 NHL Draft. He is a franchise changer and a captain who’s leadership is revered upon by the NHL.

If you doubted his leadership up until 2018, he silenced you that year. Even today when you think he’s too old, Ovechkin can still have a 50 goal season like he did last year.

Can Ovechkin do it again? He’s got a strong chance to. Even if Father Time does catch up to him, he still just needs to average at least 28.5 goals over the next four years to catch Wayne Gretzky.

Ovechkin has 780 goals in his career and last season made it to third all time by passing Jaromir Jagr and a few others on the all time NHL goal scoring list. He now only has Gordie Howe, which he could catch this upcoming season. Then it’s only Wayne Gretzky left.

Ovechkin is a special one of a kind player. His personality is a bright spot in an otherwise dull and serious sport. He also can score goals with ease and it’s not an if but when will he take over as the NHL’s all time leading scorer. He’s not there yet but he does win the Capitals number one player of all time which is still pretty good.