How Many Years Has Ovechkin Played In The Nhl?

Alexander Ovechkin is a Russian professional ice hockey player and captain of the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is considered one of the greatest hockey players of all time. Ovechkin has played in the NHL for 15 seasons, and is currently in his 16th season.

NHL Debut

Alexander Ovechkin played his first NHL game on October 5, 2005, against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He was the first overall pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft by the Washington Capitals. Ovechkin has played for the Capitals his entire NHL career.

Washington Capitals

The Washington Capitals selected Ovechkin with the first overall pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. He began his NHL career in the 2005–06 season and scored 52 goals, earning him the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year. Ovechkin scored 46 goals the following season, and led the Capitals to the playoffs for the first time since 2003. He helped Washington advance to the Southeast Division Finals, where they were defeated by the eventual Stanley Cup champions, Carolina Hurricanes. In his third NHL season, Ovechkin scored 65 goals, winning his first Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy as the league’s leading goal-scorer. He led Washington to a second straight division title but was again defeated by Carolina in the playoffs, this time in a seven-game series in which he had 10 points.

In 2007–08, Ovechkin scored 56 goals, once again winning the Richard Trophy while capturing his first Art Ross Trophy as leading point-scorer with 112 points. He helped Washington win their third consecutive division title, but they were eliminated by Philadelphia Flyers in seven games during Round 2 of the playoffs. The following year was arguably one of Ovechkin’s best; he set personal highs with 59 goals and 106 points en route to winning his second consecutive Rocket Richard and Art Ross Trophies. The Capitals once again went to the playoffs but were swept by Pittsburgh Penguins in Round 2.

Ovechkin continued his scoring ways in 2009–10, reaching 50 goals for a fifth consecutive season while recording a career-high 109 points to win his third straight Art Ross Trophy. For his efforts, he was named a finalist for both Hart Memorial Trophy and Lester B. Pearson Award but lost out on both to Sidney Crosby of Pittsburgh. Washington were unable to build on their regular season success and were defeated by Montreal Canadiens in Round 1 of 2010 playoffs.

Overall Performance

Alexander Ovechkin has played in the NHL for 14 seasons. He has played for the Washington Capitals his entire career. In those 14 seasons, he has had some impressive numbers. He has 1,200 points in 1,144 games. That is an average of 1.06 points per game.

Regular season

In the regular season, Ovechkin has appeared in 1,248 games, scoring 758 goals and 558 assists for 1,316 points. He has a plus-minus rating of +131 and has accrued 2,573 penalty minutes. Ovechkin led the NHL in goals seven times (2007–08 to 2013–14), winning the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy as the league’s leading goal-scorer each of those seasons. He also led the league in points twice (2009–10 and 2013–14), winning the Art Ross Trophy those years. In 2010, he became the first Russian-born player to win the Hart Memorial Trophy as well as the Lester B. Pearson Award (now known as the Ted Lindsay Award) as most valuable player (MVP) as voted by his peers. He has also been named to 14 NHL All-Star Games and six times was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in history by The Hockey News in 2017.

Playoffs

playoffs. In his first Stanley Cup playoff series, against the Montreal Canadiens, Ovechkin scored 2 goals and 3 assists in 7 games. However, the Capitals would lose the series in overtime of the seventh game. The following year, Ovechkin scored 2 goals and 6 assists in 7 games against the Philadelphia Flyers, but the Capitals again lost in the first round, this time in five games

Awards and Accolades

Alexander Ovechkin is a Russian professional ice hockey player and captain of the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is widely considered to be one of the greatest hockey players of all time. Ovechkin has played in the NHL for 15 seasons, and has been on the Washington Capitals his entire career.

Calder Memorial Trophy

The Calder Memorial Trophy is an annual award given “to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition”— effectively, the National Hockey League (NHL) rookie of the year. It is named after Frank Calder, who was the first president of the NHL from its founding in 1917 until his death in 1943.

The trophy was first presented at the end of the 1928–29 NHL season and was awarded to Sylvio Mantha, a defenceman with the Montreal Canadiens. Although Rookie of the Year honors were handed out beginning in 1907, it was not until 1947 that a trophy was presented to mark the occasion.

Calder Trophy winners usually come from among a small group of just a few outstanding rookies each year, with most being forwards who play on one of their team’s top two lines. In some exceptional cases—such as when a highly skilled player joins an expansion team or comes back from an extended injury hiatus early in their career—a player may win or be nominated for the Calder Trophy even if they have already played significant time in another professional league prior to joinning the NHL.

Since 1997–98, only three players have won both Calder Trophy and Art Ross Trophy as leading scorer in their rookie seasons: Evgeni Malkin (2006), Patrick Kane (2007) and Artemi Panarin (2016).

Hart Memorial Trophy

The Hart Memorial Trophy (Hart Trophy) is awarded annually to the “player judged most valuable to his team.” The award was first presented at the end of the 1923–24 NHL season and was named in honor of Canadian Dr. David Hart. Dr. Hart, who donated the original trophy to the League, was the father of Cecil Hart, a former long-time coach and general manager of the Montreal Canadiens.

The voting for the Hart Trophy is conducted by members of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association at the end of every regular season. Each individual voter ranks their top five candidates on a 10-7-5-3-1 points system; however, each team is only allowed one nomination per season. The trophy has been awarded 92 times to 56 different players since its beginnings in 1924. It is by far the oldest of the still-present NHL awards; older than both the Conn Smythe Trophy (presented since 1965) and Lester B. Pearson Award (presented since 1971). Eleven players have won it twice: Maurice Richard, Bernie Geoffrion, Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita, Guy Lafleur, Gretzky, Lemieux, Jagr, José Theodore (during his time with Montreal), Crosby and Ovechkin (twice in a row). Of those eleven multi-time winners only Michel Goulet also played for a losing team in any of his Hart Trophy seasons — his 1983–84 Quebec Nordiques lost to eventual Stanley Cup champion Edmonton in seven games during their first round series that year.

Art Ross Trophy

The Art Ross Trophy is awarded to the player who leads the NHL in scoring at the end of the regular season. It was presented to the League by former player, General Manager, and head coach Art Ross. The trophy has been awarded 70 times to 29 players since its introduction in 1947–48. Wayne Gretzky won the trophy a record 10 times during his 20-year NHL career.

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The Hart Memorial Trophy is awarded to the player who is deemed to be the most valuable to his team during the regular season, as voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association. It is named in honour of Dr. David Hart, father of Cecil Hart, former manager of the Montreal Canadiens. The trophy has been awarded 90 times to 54 different players since its inception in 1923–24. Wayne Gretzky won the award a record nine times during his 20-year NHL career.

International Play

Alexander Ovechkin has played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 14 seasons with the Washington Capitals. He has also played internationally for Russia in several tournaments.

Olympic Games

Ovechkin first played for Russia in the 2006 Winter Olympics, where he had two goals and two assists in six games. He also played in the 2010 Winter Olympics, where he had four goals and one assist in seven games, and he captained Russia in the 2014 Winter Olympics, where he had two goals and one assist in six games. He was named to the Olympic All-Star team in 2006 and 2014.

World Championships

In his first World Championship appearance in 2006, Ovechkin was the youngest player on Russia’s roster. He became the first teenager to lead the tournament in scoring since Jaromir Jagr in 1989, compiling eight points in nine games en route to helping Russia win the bronze medal. Two years later, he was again the tournament’s leading scorer with seven goals and 11 points in nine games as Russia won gold. Ovechkin was named to the 2009 World Championship All-Star team and received the tournament’s best forward award for a second consecutive year after leading Russia to a silver medal finish with 14 points in nine games. In 2010 and 2012, he captained Russia to gold at the World Championships.

Personal Life

Alexander Ovechkin was born in Moscow, Russia, on September 17, 1985, the only child of Mikhail and Tatyana Ovechkin. His father, Mikhail, played in the Russian Superleague and his mother, Tatyana, was a two-time world champion in the high jump. When Ovechkin was ten, his family moved to Washington, D.C.

Marriage

Ovechkin married his long-time girlfriend Nastya Shubskaya in 2016. They have been together since 2015 and got engaged in September of that year. The couple has two children together, a son named Sergei and a daughter named Ekaterina.

Children

Ovechkin has two children, a son and a daughter. His son’s name is Sergei and his daughter’s name is Anastasia.