Ovechkin became the fourth player in NHL history to score 30 goals at age 40 or older, joining Gordie Howe (44 in 1968-69, 31 in 1969-70), Johnny Bucyk (36 in 1975-76), and Teemu Selanne (31 in 2010-11).
Ovechkin leads the Capitals with 30 goals in 75 games this season to increase his NHL-record career total to 927.
His 20 seasons with at least 30 goals are three more than Mike Gartner, who is second in NHL history. Gartner reached 30 goals 17 times during his 19 NHL seasons before retiring in 1998.
Ovechkin, who was selected by Washington with the No. 1 pick in the 2004 NHL Draft, has failed to reach 30 goals only once in his career. He scored 24 goals in 45 games during the 2020-21 season that was abbreviated to 56 games because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ovechkin also holds the NHL record for 40-goal seasons with 14 and is tied with Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy for the most 50-goal seasons with nine. He is second in 20-goal seasons with 21, behind Howe, who had 22.
Ovechkin broke Gretzky's record for most regular-season goals (894) when he scored his 895th on April 6, 2025, against the New York Islanders. Ovechkin became the second player with 1,000 goals in the NHL -- regular season and Stanley Cup Playoffs combined -- when he scored against the Colorado Avalanche on March 22.
Including his 77 playoff goals, Ovechkin now has 1,004 total NHL goals, behind only Gretzky, who retired in 1999 with 1,016.
