Like almost all sports organizations, the National Hockey League temporarily suspended the season due to the threat of the spread of coronavirus. Although the NHL has not made official statements on this subject, some athletes may be seriously worried about the prospect of canceling the remaining matches of the regular season.
Of course, this primarily concerns the representatives of teams that did not guarantee themselves a place in the playoffs, but also applies to the leader of the “Washington” Alexander Ovechkin. The Russian striker once again holds a bright and productive season, and its reduction will deprive the athlete of several achievements at once.
After 69 matches, the Russian has 48 goals, thanks to which he shares the first place in the sniper race with Baston striker David Pastarnyak, while Toronto striker Oston Matthews is only one less. The captain of the metropolitan team is not just continuing the fight, but is one of the favorites in the battle for "Maurice Richard Trophy", which will soon be renamed in his honor. Suffice it to say that Ovechkin received the record eight times this award, and his closest pursuers in the person of Pavel Bure, Sidney Crosby, Stephen Stamkos and Jerome Iginly - only twice.
Thus, even if the NHL decides to interrupt the regular season and immediately go to the playoffs, Ovechkin will still take the honorary trophy. But at the same time, he will lose the opportunity for the ninth time to get to the "fifty dollars". As the Russian himself admitted, this achievement is really of great importance for him.
“Of course, I want to score 50 goals. But now security is in the first place, everyone is talking about it. This is the main thing. It's a shame that I can’t distinguish myself 50 times, I won’t be able to reach the next milestone, but we need to think about the health of the family, people, fans. The sooner this is completed, the sooner we will start playing hockey, ”Ovechkin quotes the NHL official website.
It is worth noting that in the history of the NHL, only two hockey players can boast that they scored 50 or more goals over nine seasons. They are ex-New York Islanders forward Mike Bossy and the legendary Wayne Gretzky. And the last of them was noted by a similar rate of fire both in the Edmonton Oilers and the Los Angeles Kings.
There is no doubt that Ovechkin is able to overcome this bar. He has 13 matches left, which is more than enough to hit the opponent’s goal twice. In addition, a pause due to the threat of the coronavirus could well benefit the Russian striker, who received extra time to rest. During the current championship, it was noticeable that in a busy schedule, Alexander does not look so confident, and his actions are seriously affected by fatigue.
This is especially clearly demonstrated by Ovechkin’s statistics in matches held the day after the previous one. Prior to the suspension of the season, the Capitals striker went on the ice nine times in such meetings and earned only seven (6 + 1) points. At the same time, three goals and a pass fell on the confrontation with the main outsider of the league in the person of “Detroit”, and in six games he did not at all mark effective actions.
In addition, Alexander is often very productive in the endings of the championship. This is due to the fact that Washington regularly plays in the playoffs, which is why the captain of Washington is trying to come up in optimal form for the Stanley Cup games. So, over the previous five years, Ovechkin has never scored less than five goals in the last 13 matches, and their total number for this segment was 34. At the same time, he gave the most spectacular finish spurt in the 2013/14 championship, when he scored 13 accurate throws.
At the same time, reaching the goal of 50 goals per season is of strategic importance for Ovechkin for one more reason. Alexander continues the pursuit of Gretzky's sniper record, and in this context, every hit can be worth its weight in gold. At the moment, the Russian asset has 706 goals, and the Canadian - 894. At the same time, the Russian himself says that if the championship were resumed, he would gladly refuse to hold the remaining regular games.
“It would be better for us if the playoffs begin right now. We would not like to play extra matches. But some people need them. These are those who are fighting for a place in the playoff zone. The more games there are, the more interesting it is for spectators and for teams that are trying to break through there. This is clear. But I would like to start the Stanley Cup right away. Sorry, guys, ”admitted Ovechkin.
Undoubtedly, as an athlete hungry for trophies and the leader of the Capitals, Ovechkin is obliged to think primarily about the team result. And in this regard, he would have been much preferable to immediately go to the knockout round. In this case, he would have had more than enough strength left to fight for the Stanley Cup, while a fierce battle with the overclocked Pastarnyak and Matthews for the Maurice Richard Trophy could seriously pat him. But taking into account his duel with Gretzky, a few extra goals will not bother him.
In September, Alexander will turn 35 years old. Upon reaching this mark, many professional athletes experience a serious decline, which the Russian hockey player is not safe from. Moreover, even if he continues to stamp 50 goals per championship, he will need at least four seasons to get to the Canadian. At the moment, it is extremely difficult to predict in what form Ovechkin will be in 38–39 years, so do not give up the opportunity to replenish your sniper account.
At one time, a sharp drop in rate of fire also befell Gretzky himself, who, after reaching 33 years, never crossed the 30 goal mark for the “regular season”. In the 1994/95 season, he was prevented by injuries, and then began the "era of the dead washer", which lasted until 2003. But in the case of the Canadian, this helped to at least slightly balance his performance and offset the advantage that he received thanks to his performance in the 1980s.
For comparison, then the NHL teams with a noticeable periodicity overcame the bar of 300 accurate shots, and the “Edmonton” and even once almost scored 450 times. For comparison, in 2019, only one team was able to boast of such rate of fire - the owner of the Tampa Bay Presidential Cup, who scored 325 goals.
Currently, Ovechkin himself is at home in Virginia and is waiting for his second child with his wife. Judging by the words of the captain of Washington, at the moment everything that is not connected with the family has faded into the background.
“Now is a difficult situation. It scares not only us, but all people. As soon as you think about what is happening in the world, it becomes scary. So now I don’t think about 50 abandoned goals, the pursuit of Gretzky’s record or any other achievement. Now I only think about what I can do for the safety of my family, and I want everything to end soon, ”concluded Ovechkin.