The Alex Ovechkin countdown continues as his shot at history gets closer and closer.
As he closes in on Wayne Gretzky for the most goals in NHL history, Ovechkin has a handful of games remaining this season to break the record. Just when it looked like a broken leg would push his chase for the NHL’s all-time goal record to next season, the Capitals legend has come back with a vengeance and is on track to pass Gretzky’s mark before the end of the season.
How old is Ovechkin, and how long has he been in the NHL? Here is everything you need to know.
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How old is Alex Ovechkin?
Ovechkin is 39 years old. Born Sept. 17, 1985, he is the fourth-eldest active player behind Marc-Andre Fleury, Ryan Suter and Brent Burns.
The oldest goaltender to ever play was Maurice Roberts, who retired at 45 years and 345 days. The oldest skater to ever play was 52 years and 11 days.
Ovechkin has quite a ways to go if he is going to crack the top 10, all of which are players above 43.
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When was Alex Ovechkin drafted?
Ovechkin was drafted first overall by the Capitals in the 2004 draft. He was selected to the NHL All-Rookie Team and was named to the All-Star team the following season.
When did Alex Ovechkin make his NHL debut?
Though Ovechkin was drafted in 2004, he did not make his debut until the 2005-2006 season.
That year, the NHL season was cancelled due to a labor lockout. The NHL and the NHL Players Association disagreed with the league’s desire to implement a salary cap to limit expenditure on player salaries.
The NHLPA proposed a revenue-sharing system, but all attempts at collective bargaining before the season were unsuccessful. The resulting collective bargaining agreement was agreed upon on July 13, 2005, and included both a salary cap and revenue sharing.
The lockout lasted 10 months and 6 days, covering 1,230 unplayed games. The Stanley Cup was not awarded for the first time since 1919.
Ovechkin consequently lost a season of his professional career in his very first year.
How many seasons has Alex Ovechkin played?
Ovechkin is in his 20th season. He has spent his entire career with the Capitals, joining them in 2005 as a 20-year-old. Ovechkin has played 1468 games in his career, with his last full 82-game season coming in 2017-2018.
He has only played under 65 games in three seasons, and his durability, longevity and sustained success are among the best of any hockey player ever.
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Alex Ovechkin career stats
Playing for 20 years, Ovechkin has logged quite the career. He’s 29th in games played, second in career goals, 11th in career points, sixth in goals created, third in even-strength goals, first in power-play goals, first in game-winning goals and first in shots. Almost no one has been more consistently dangerous with a puck than Ovechkin.
| Games played | 1,485 |
| Goals | 892 |
| Assists | 724 |
| Points | 1,616 |
| Plus/Minus | 62 |
| Power play Goals | 323 |
| Game-winning goals | 135 |
| Shots on goal | 6,844 |
