It’s one of those things that sounds obvious out of the gate and gets truer the more you linger on it: There’s no historical comparison for Alex Ovechkin’s career. The Great 8 really is a one of one.
We don’t know if Ovechkin will heed the request of Washington Capitals fans, who chanted “One more year!” at the greatest goal-scorer in NHL history, after the Caps downed the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-0 on Sunday afternoon during Washington’s final home game of the regular season.
And, hey, there’s a still a chance – as Caps coach Spencer Carbery noted – that we see Washington and Pittsburgh doing battle in Round 1 of the playoffs in a few days.
That said, odds are Washington’s final game of 2025-26 will come Tuesday night in Columbus, and if that contest doubles as Ovechkin’s final skate in the NHL, his 21-year career will stand alone in both tangible and intangible ways.
Obviously, when you set the league record for goals, as Ovechkin did one year ago by passing Wayne Gretzky, you’ve done something to stand out from the crowd. Gretzky may have been the guy Ovechkin took the crown from, but stylistically his two best historical comps are probably Brett Hull and Mike Bossy.
Hull led the league in goals for three straight years, but played for a handful of teams and didn’t win titles until his mid-30s, when he was scoring far fewer goals than in his prime.
Bossy, whose remarkable career was cut short by a bad back, remains the all-time goals-per-game leader (0.76) thanks to the 573 goals he scored in 752 games. In a sense, Bossy is probably the best comparison for Ovechkin because both guys came into the league firing darts from Day 1 and basically never stopped until retirement, all while skating with the same squad.
The key difference, clearly, is that Ovechkin has already played more than twice as long as Bossy did. Also, Bossy’s legacy is inexorably linked to that of the New York Islanders dynasty that won four straight Cups. You’re just as likely to think of the championships with Bossy as the goals.
Of course, Ovechkin did get that one title and, in doing so, shook off any chance he’d take the label of “best guy never to win one” from somebody like Marcel Dionne or Brad Park.
When did Ovechkin win that ring? Right in the middle of his career, when he was still at the tippy-top of his game. He didn’t get it hanging on at the end; he didn’t get it so early on it seems like a hazy memory (Jaromir Jagr played 1,583 of his 1,733 career NHL games after winning his only Cups); he didn’t get it being a mercenary wearing a crest he had no attachment to.
And when did he pass Gretzky? Ovechkin may have been in his age-39 season last year, but he was still one of the deadliest scorers in the NHL. In fact, only Leon Draisaitl (0.73) had a higher goals-per-game mark than Ovechkin (0.68) during a season where he scored 44 goals in 65 outings.
He passed Gretzky while still being the player he always was, not some shadow of himself chasing glory at the end of a drawn-out run. Heck, he could still get to 35 goals this season with his 36th career hat trick on Tuesday.
One team, one perfectly timed title, one all-time record doing the one thing that’s hardest to find in the game.
One more year at age 41? Why not?
Weekend Takeaways
• It’s awards season in the NHL and Porter Martone might be serving early notice that he’s the Calder favourite for 2027. The Flyers rookie – who joined the club after his NCAA season ended at Michigan State – has seven points in seven outings with Philly after finding the net in the Flyers’ big 7-1 victory in Winnipeg on Saturday. Martone – a talented, rangy and chippy winger – felt born to be a Flyer from the time the squad took him sixth overall 10 months ago, and his early days with the club are cementing that notion.
• It seems certain the most miserable fans in the league right now are the Detroit Red Wings supporters who now know their team won’t see the post-season for a 10th straight year after Detroit stumbled down the stretch yet again and was officially eliminated on Saturday thanks to a brutal home-ice loss to the New Jersey Devils. That said, how much happier than Wings fans will Columbus Blue Jackets backers be if the most likely scenario comes to pass and the Jackets miss the playoffs this year after falling short by a whisker last season?
• The Blue Jackets woke up on March 25 with 87 points, holding down home-ice advantage in the Nos. 2-3 Metro matchup. They’ve gone 2-7-1 since and need a minor miracle to pass Philadelphia for the final available Eastern Conference playoff spot. Even going 4-5-1 during that 10-game stretch would have had the Jackets well-positioned to make the playoffs for the first time since 2019 in an 82-game season.
Certainly, the Jackets couldn’t stay a .741 club (as they were for 27 games in the second half) forever, but the bottom falling out – including Sunday’s tough 3-2 loss at home to a Boston Bruins club that has already clinched – must feel like a gut-punch. A six-year second-season drought is now very likely in Ohio.
Red and White Power Rankings
1. Montreal Canadiens (48-23-10) David Reinbacher, the fifth-overall pick from 2023, made his NHL debut during the Canadiens’ 4-1 win on Long Island that eliminated the Isles from playoff contention on Sunday night. With two right-shot defencemen – Noah Dobson and Alex Carrier – presently injured and Dobson certain to miss playoff time, could Reinbacher – a six-foot-three righty – wind up in Montreal’s lineup for Game 1?
2. Ottawa Senators (43-27-11) If you’re the Sens, would you potentially want to stay where you are, in WC2, with one game to go? Ottawa could still leap Boston for WC1, but that puts you in an Atlantic draw that presents a tougher path to the Eastern Conference Final. If the Sens stay in WC2 and upset Carolina in Rd. 1 – and, for the record, Ottawa could certainly beat any East team – they could be a series win against over-achieving Pittsburgh or Philly away from the final four.
3. Edmonton Oilers (40-30-10) Connor McDavid has a five-point lead over Nikita Kucherov in the Art Ross race. Both players have two home games left on the schedule. Assuming McDavid holds the lead, it will be his first scoring title since 2023 and sixth overall. Art Ross No. 6 would put McDavid level with Gordie Howe and Mario Lemieux, who each won a half-dozen scoring titles. The only player with more is Wayne Gretzky with 10.
4. Winnipeg Jets (35-32-12) While the Jets are still technically alive in the playoff chase, all realistic hope came crashing down during a demoralizing 7-1 defeat on home ice versus the Flyers on Saturday. It’s a lost year for the Jets, who have the potential to come back strong next year with the right off-season plan.
5. Calgary Flames (33-38-9) Rookie Zayne Parekh saw the most ice of his young career on Saturday (23:49, leading all Flames) and picked up a primary assist during a 4-1 win over Utah. How he fares in Year 2 will be a huge factor in what this Calgary rebuild looks like.
6. Toronto Maple Leafs (32-34-14) With three straight regulation-time losses, the Leafs are playing like they understand the assignment from fans. With two games to go, Toronto suddenly stands a decent chance to hang onto a top-five pick.
7. Vancouver Canucks (24-48-8) Seasons this long need some happy moments, and Marco Rossi provided one Sunday night with an OT goal that delivered a win in Anaheim 24 hours after Vancouver got a shootout victory in San Jose. Rossi has three goals in his past five outings.
The Week Ahead
• A busy, 10-game slate Monday brings several meaningful matchups. Philadelphia can clinch a playoff spot – its first in an 82-game season since 2018 – by picking up two points at home versus Carolina. A 60-minute win in Chicago assures Buffalo its first division title since 2010, while Nashville – one point back of the Kings for WC2 with L.A. holding a game in hand – really need two points at home versus San Jose. The Kings, meanwhile, are trying to solidify their hold on a berth with two points in Seattle.
• Anaheim can clinch its first playoff berth since 2018 with a single point on Tuesday, and if Nashville doesn’t get two points on Monday the Ducks will wake up Tuesday morning in Minnesota as a playoff team.
• Nathan MacKinnon (52) has a one-goal lead over Cole Caufield (51) in the race for the Rocket Richard Trophy. The Avs play three games this week, beginning Monday night in Edmonton, while Caufield’s Canadiens will play just one more time on Tuesday in Philly.
• We’ll see how the week goes, but the final night of the regular season on Thursday could bring meaningful games for Anaheim, Nashville, L.A. and possibly even Winnipeg. The Kings’ game in Calgary is slated to be Anze Kopitar’s final regular-season contest.
• The 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs – which will end with a new champion – begin on Saturday.
