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Alex Ovechkin’s road to 800 goals

By Michael Marzzacco

Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports Copyright Tom Szczerbowski
Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports Copyright Tom Szczerbowski /

The early years

We finally got to see Ovechkin make his NHL debut on Oct. 5, 2005 against the Columbus Blue Jackets in the return of hockey. He scored two goals including a rocket from downtown at 7:21 of the second period.

He would later add his first power play goal and both goals were game tying ones as Dainius Zubrus gave them the lead for good with a power play goal of his own.

In his rookie season Ovechkin scored 52 goals and added 54 assists for 106 points. It earned him the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s Rookie of the Year.

Later that season Ovechkin had a goal for the ages where he did a curl and drag, fell down and spun while on the ground to totally fake out a defender and the goaltender. It was dubbed The Goal and it came with Wayne Gretzky behind the bench as the head coach of the Phoenix Coyotes.

In his second season he added 46 goals and 46 assists for 92 points. Not bad but fans were craving a playoff appearance. They didn’t make the playoffs in those first two seasons but they would begin to take the city by storm the next season

The rest as they say, is history.

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