People who follow hockey know the name Alex Ovechkin. He has played 20 years in the NHL, and he keeps going. Ovechkin, who is now 39 years old, had his mind set on being the all-time leading goal scorer in NHL history for a while. Having reached this target now has put Ovechkin next to the best player to ever play hockey, Wayne Gretzky, also known as “the Great One,” who currently is 2nd in all-time leading scoring in NHL history, scoring 894 goals in 20 seasons. In Ovechkin’s 20 years, he has accomplished a lot more than being the all-time leading scorer in NHL history. He won a Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals in 2018, and he also won 3 NHL League MVPs in 2008, 2009, and, most recently, 2013.
On April 5, 2025, in front of home fans at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C, as well as Gretzky himself, Ovechkin tied Gretzky’s record of 894 goals. With each goal of his career, Ove, short for Ovechkin, kisses his glove and reaches for the sky, a tribute to his older brother Sergei, who died when Ove was only 10 years old. His brother was a positive influence on his hockey career early on, introducing hockey to Alex at a young age and driving him to practices when his parents were unable to do so.
Ovechkin was born in Moscow, Russia, in 1985. Ovechkin spent his youth playing hockey with his family. At a young age, Alex would stay out late every day with his friends, playing hockey when his homework was finished. His passion and love for the game never stopped. He was a natural-born leader on the ice as a kid. Alex was a big fan of the San Jose Sharks. When Alex was 10 years of age, he joined the Dynamo at the youth level. Dynamo was a part of the Russian Super League, the major hockey league in Russia. At 16 years old, Ovechkin was signed by the professional Dynamo team.
After playing for the Dynamo, Ovechkin took his talents overseas to the U.S. to play in the NHL. Ovechkin was picked as number one overall by the Washington Capitals in 2004. In 2006, Ovechkin earned the Calder Memorial Trophy, which is given to the top rookie every year. To add to Ovechkin’s impressive resume, he was also named to 8 first-team all-stars and 4 second-team all-stars in 20 years. Ovechkin passed the all-time goals record against the Islanders on Sunday, April 6th, 2025. Will Ovechkin retire now that he has reached his goal of being the highest-scoring player to ever put on an NHL uniform?
Off the ice, Alex is an amazing father and mentor to many young hockey players who want to be like him. His ongoing story is unforgettable, and his breaking the all-time scoring record is just a small piece of his puzzle.
