Eight is the new 40. At least it is for Alex Ovechkin.
The Great 8 is celebrating his 40th birthday today while preparing for the 21st NHL season in his Hall of Fame career.
Year 20 was one to remember for Ovechkin as he broke Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record. Ovechkin managed to score 44 times last season, even while missing 16 games with a broken leg, showing fans that he isn't slowing down just yet.
The 2025-26 season is the final year of Ovechkin's current contract, but he hasn't said if this is his swan song season. Whether this is the end or not, Ovechkin still has plenty of milestones he can chase down now that the goals record is his own.
Here are five of those milestones to watch for this year.
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Most goals regular season and playoffs combined
While Ovechkin is now the record holder for most regular-season goals with 897, Gretzky still has him beat when playoff goals are added in. But the margin isn't much, and Ovechkin could overtake Gretzky for this record, too, with one more great season.
Entering 2025-26, Ovechkin has 974 goals between the regular season and playoffs. That's only 42 fewer than Gretzky, who retired with 1,016.
Last season, Ovechkin had 49 combined goals, and he has scored at least 43 in 14 of his 20 NHL seasons. If he can stay healthy and the Capitals remain a Stanley Cup contender, this record should be Ovechkin's before long.
Most goals in a season aged 40 and over
Gretzky retired at age 38 so this is one of the rare records that doesn't belong to him. Instead, Ovechkin will be chasing down Gordie Howe for the most goals in a season by someone aged 40 and older.
Howe scored 44 times in 1968-69 to set the record. That's the same number of goals Ovechkin scored one year ago (in only 65 games). As with the combined goals record, if Ovechkin can stay healthy for the whole season, this mark should be within reach.
What will be much harder for Ovechkin to track down is Howe's records for assists (59) and points (103) by a player aged 40 and older, also set in 1968-69. Ovechkin hasn't surpassed either of those totals since the 2009-10 season, when he was 24.
Most 50-goal seasons
Ovechkin enters the season tied with Gretzky and Mike Bossy for the most 50-goal seasons ever, with nine. A broken leg cost him a chance to surpass that record last season as his 0.68 goals-per-game rate in 2024-25 translated to 55 goals over 82 games.
If Ovechkin does break this record, it won't be challenged again for a long time. The only active players with multiple 50-goal seasons on their resumes are Leon Draisaitl (four), Auston Matthews (two) and Steven Stamkos (two).
All-time points list
Ovechkin's legacy will always be his goal-scoring, but he is also among the overall scoring leaders in NHL history. In fact, barring a major injury, Ovechkin will move into the top 10 on the all-time points list this season.
Ovechkin currently sits 11th on the list, with 1,623 points. He needs just 19 more to surpass longtime Avalanche captain Joe Sakic's total of 1,641 and grab the 10th spot.
Climbing higher than 10 will be difficult for Ovechkin. His greatest rival, Sidney Crosby, is currently ninth on the list (with 1,687) and still going strong. Crosby should pass his mentor, Mario Lemieux, for eighth all-time this season, but Lemieux's mark of 1,723 is a full 100 points ahead of Ovechkin. As mentioned above, Ovechkin hasn't crossed the century mark in 15 years, so he will need to extend his contract to have a chance at catching Lemieux.
Total games played
One of the more impressive things about Ovechkin's career has been his longevity. The 65 games he played last year were the fewest over a full 82-game season in his entire career.
That track record of staying on the ice has Ovechkin nearing 1,500 games played. He enters the season at 1,491.
Only 22 players have ever crossed 1,500 games played in NHL history. If Ovechkin has one more 82-game season in him, he could climb all the way up to 14th all-time. Currently, the 14th spot is held by Swedish hockey great Nicklas Lidstrom with 1,564 games. If Ovechkin surpasses Lidstrom, he would be third all-time among European skaters behind only Zdeno Chara (1,680) and Jaromir Jagr (1,733).
