How Long Has Ovechkin Been Playing In The NHL?

Washington Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin is one of the NHL’s most prolific goal scorers, and he’s been thrilling fans for years. But how long has he been playing in the NHL? We break down his career timeline.

NHL Debut

Alexander Ovechkin began his NHL career with the Washington Capitals in the 2005-06 season. He was the first overall pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. He is currently in his 16th season with the Capitals and is the team captain.

Drafted by the Washington Capitals

Ovechkin was the first overall pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft by the Washington Capitals. He played his first NHL game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on October 5, 2005, scoring two goals in a 3–2 victory. He scored his first career hat-trick against the Tampa Bay Lightning on January 16, 2006. Ovechkin scored 52 goals during his rookie season, winning the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year. He was also selected to play in the NHL YoungStars Game and was named to the NHL First All-Star Team and Rookie All-Star Team.

First NHL game

On October 5, 2005, in just his second NHL game, Ovechkin scored his first NHL career goal against goaltender Roman Cechmanek of the Philadelphia Flyers. With that goal, he became the fourth player in NHL history to score a goal in each of his first two career games, joining Alex Smart (1943–44), Fabian Brunnstrom (2008–09) and Blake Wheeler (2008–09).

NHL Career

Alexander Ovechkin has been playing in the National Hockey League (NHL) since the 2005-2006 season. He is currently playing for the Washington Capitals and is considered one of the best players in the league. In his career, he has won many awards including the Calder Memorial Trophy, the Hart Memorial Trophy, and the Art Ross Trophy.

Playing style

Ovechkin is a powerful offensive player who posseses “one of the hardest, most accurate shots in the NHL.” Standing at 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m), he also has a large frame and is known for his physical style of play. In addition to his scoring and play-making abilities, Ovechkin is also “an excellent backchecker and has become more mature defensively.” He is considered one of the best players currently in the NHL.

Accolades

Alexander Ovechkin is a Russian professional ice hockey winger and captain of the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). A highly touted prospect, he was selected by the Capitals first overall in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. He has led the league in goal-scoring eight times and won the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy as the NHL’s leading goal-scorer six times. He is also a three-time winner of the Ted Lindsay Award as the NHLPA’s most outstanding player and was named to both the All-Rookie Team and the First All-Star Team.

Team captain

Alex Ovechkin was named the captain of the Washington Capitals on January 5, 2010, becoming the seventh captain in team history. He is also one of three Russian-born captains in NHL history, joining Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby and Florida’s Pavel Bure.

International Play

Ovie has been a force on the international stage for many years now. He first represented Russia at the IIHF World U20 Championship in 2003. In the years since, he’s played in several World Championships, four Olympic Games, and most recently, the World Cup of Hockey in 2016.

World Championships

In 2004, Ovechkin helped lead Russia to a gold medal victory at the World Championships in the Czech Republic. He was the tournament’s leading scorer with 10 goals and 8 assists, and was named one of the top three players of the tournament. In 2005, he helped Russia win the gold medal at the World Junior Championships, held in North Dakota. He scored 7 goals and 5 assists in 7 games.

Winter Olympics

Washington Capitals winger Alexander Ovechkin has been one of the most dominant hockey players of his generation. A three-time NHL MVP, he’s also been a key member of Russia’s national team for over a decade.

Ovechkin first made his mark on the international stage at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. He was just 20 years old at the time, but he quickly became one of the tournament’s most exciting players. He scored four goals in six games, including a dramatic game-tying goal against Slovakia in the quarterfinals.

Unfortunately, Russia would ultimately lose to Finland in the semifinals, and Ovechkin would go home without an Olympic medal. He would get another chance at gold four years later in Vancouver, but again the Russians fell short, this time losing to Canada in the quarterfinals.

Ovechkin would finally get his Olympic medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. He scored two goals and added an assist as Russia cruised to a 5-0 win over Slovakia in the bronze medal game.

Personal Life

Alexander Ovechkin is a Russian professional ice hockey winger 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 was born on September 17, 1985, in Moscow, Russia. He began playing hockey at the age of four and first played in the Russian Super League (RSL) for Dynamo Moscow at the age of 16.

Marriage

Ovechkin married Nastya Shubskaya in a lavish ceremony in 2016. The couple have been together since 2015.

Children

Ovechkin and his wife, former tennis player Anastasia Shubskaya, have a daughter, Sergei, who was born in 2015.