Making Of A GOAT: Alex Ovechkin Remains Ageless

WASHINGTON — Alex Ovechkin isn't done making highlights — let alone history.

The captain did just that again on Tuesday, soaring through mid-air to put home a one-timer and celebrating in vintage fashion from the seat of his pants — almost the same exact way he did 17 years ago — for another two-goal game and a vital win for the Washington Capitals.

"He's still got it, I guess," Tom Wilson, who's talked more about Ovechkin than himself over the last two years — for good reason, he noted — shrugged. "It's incredible... I've said everything I can about the guy."

Ovechkin's 927th and 928th career NHL goals added to his all-time record and brought him 11 goals closer to Wayne Gretzky's record 1,016 goals between regular season and playoffs.

He also hit the 30-goal mark for the record 20th time in his career; the only season he did not reach that total was in the COVID-shortened 2020-21 campaign, where he still managed 24 in 45 games.

"Obviously, it's a big number," Ovechkin said.

It was another day, another record, another milestone for Ovechkin, but it holds much more significance than just that.

Because, despite being 40 years old and playing in his 21st season, Ovechkin remains ageless, his goal-scoring a constant. It never gets old for him, either, as he celebrates each like it's his first.

"He's the model of consistency in goal-scoring. You don't get to 1,000-somethng goals by having down years," Pierre-Luc Dubois noted.

As time's gone on, Ovechkin's found different ways to score, whether it's a deflection try, point shot, rebound in front or vintage one-timer. And, most importantly, he's scoring big goals when it matters most, and loves doing it.

The Capitals are in the fight of their lives right now as they try and claw back up the standings and into playoff position. In turn, Ovechkin has five goals over the last three games and seven in the last seven, and D.C. has won three straight and now sits three points out of a Wild Card spot and four out of third in the Metropolitan Division, with games in hand.

"Every game's a game seven for us," Ovechkin said. "Every point is huge."

What he's been able to accomplish this year, and over the last 21 years in the NHL, is a rare feat, and one that the NHL may very well never see again.

And it's not just the goals; it's what Ovechkin brings as a whole. The 6-foot-3, 238-pound winger, despite his age, is still throwing bone-crunching hits along the boards, playing his same style amid the ever-changing game and having fun all the same.

"When it comes down to him, it's bigger than the individual or the team. It's so fun to watch him lead and go out there and hit and score," Wilson added. "One way to bring everybody into the fight is to have a 40-year-old captain that's running over guys and scoring goals."

"It's mind-blowing," Ryan Leonard added of Ovechkin. "At his age, what he's doing, it's insane."

These final games of the regular season don't just mean a lot for the Capitals playoff hopes, but for Ovechkin, too. His future remains unclear, as he has yet to make a decision on whether or not this year will be his last.

That said, his love of hockey and identity as a whole won't be fading away anytime soon.

"I'm always enjoy it,... You never know when it's going to be the end," Ovechkin said, later adding with a sly smile and raised eyebrow, "Why change anything?"

So, as long as he's around, until that last buzzer, he, his teammates and an entire generation aren't taking one second for granted.

After all, greatness like that doesn't come around too often.