As if breaking Wayne Gretzky’s 26-year-old career goals record wasn’t impressive enough, Alex Ovechkin achieved this five short months after fracturing his leg! On November 18, 2024, an injury sidelined Ovi, raising concerns that it could derail his season. The injury occurred during a game against the Utah Hockey Club when defenseman Jack McBain delivered a leg-on-leg hit. The impact left the 39-year-old left winger unable to continue playing. The Capitals later revealed that Ovechkin had suffered a fractured leg and would be out for 4 to 6 weeks. But as Ovechkin once famously said, “Russian machine never breaks.”
Though he had finished the previous season strong, analysts questioned whether he would be able to fully recover this time around. It was, after all, the worst injury of his career. But then, like every other time before it, Ovechkin came back stronger.
As Elliotte Friedman, co-host of the 32 Thoughts podcast, put it, “What someone said to me is, he breaks his leg and people are like, ‘Aw, too bad, it’s not going to happen this year.’ And he comes back, and he’s on fire again.” It’s true, the injury, while serious, seemed to only add fuel to Ovechkin’s fire. When he was back on the ice, it was with a determination that would lead to one of the most impressive comebacks of his career.
Fast forward to today, and Ovechkin has not only bounced back from the fracture, but he is thriving. Despite missing 16 games, he currently sits fourth for goals scored, trailing only Leon Draisaitl, William Nylander, and Tage Thompson. This has left many wondering why there hasn’t yet been talk about Alex Ovechkin as a candidate for this year’s prestigious Hart Trophy.
This is an award that Wayne Gretzky won 9 times in his career, and Ovechkin has won it 3 times, in 2008, 2009, and 2013. Just to be clear, the guy certainly doesn’t lack awards; we’re just wondering if his performance this season warrants another… Well, with the way Ovechkin’s season is shaping up, it might seem mind-boggling if he doesn’t win Hart Trophy No. 4.
The comeback: Alex Ovechkin’s path to history
On Alex Ovechkin’s performance this season, Elliotte Friedman said, “The team being good is a part of that, but you (co-host Kyle Bukauskas) and I had an MVP conversation a few weeks ago, and one of the people who I really respect the most around the league said to me, ‘It’s crazy that people aren’t talking about him (Ovechkin) in this MVP race.’”
As many names, including MacKinnon, Draisaitl, Hellebuyck, Kucherov, and Eichel, enter the MVP conversation, some wonder, where is Ovechkin? Surely Ovi’s return from injury seems to deserve a spot among the league’s elite.
The Capitals, who have consistently stayed on top of the NHL this season alongside the Winnipeg Jets, have benefited greatly from Ovechkin’s resurgence, with winger Tom Wilson famously having said, “If you have a chance to pass it to him, (Ovechkin) you want to pass it to him.”
Ovechkin’s scoring pace has been nothing short of extraordinary, even as he is in the end stages of his career. To put that in perspective, Gretzky was a year younger than Ovechkin is now when the former retired at 38! (Another point for the Hart Trophy committee to consider?)
Friedman remains confident that Alex Ovechkin will be a contender for the Hart Trophy, if not the ultimate winner. But, trophies aside, Ovechkin has carved out an indomitable and unique legacy in history. Ovi will always be a great who, against all odds, continues to look like he’s just getting started!
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