Ovechkin became the first player in NHL history to top the League in goals eight times, breaking a tie with Bobby Hull (7x). He did so by reaching the 50-goal milestone for the eighth time, behind only Mike Bossy (9) and Wayne Gretzky (9) for the most such seasons in League history. At 33 years, 194 days, when he hit the mark on March 30, Ovechkin also became the third-oldest player to record a 50-goal campaign, trailing Johnny Bucyk (35 years, 308 days) and Jaromir Jagr (34 years, 37 days). Ovechkin's 51 tallies vaulted him into 13th place on the League's all-time goals list; the Moscow, Russia, native's career total of 658 is 212 higher than any other player since he entered the NHL in 2005-06.
The Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy, a gift to the National Hockey League from the Montreal Canadiens, honors one of the game's greatest stars. During his 18-year career with the Canadiens from 1942-43 through 1959-60, Richard was the first player in NHL history to score 50 goals in a season and 500 for his career. He was the League's top goal-scorer five times, played on eight Stanley Cup champions and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961.
For more on the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy, including a list of past winners, click
here
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