We don’t know whether this will be Alex Ovechkin’s final season as a Washington Capital or not, but there’s never a bad time to reflect back on two decades of being treated to this amazing talent. So each game day throughout the 2025-26 season, we’re going to be picking an Ovechkin moment to remember against that day’s opponent as we look back at an incredible career.
Becoming the Top Russian – November 19, 2015
10 years into his career, Alex Ovechkin had already established himself as one of the great goal-scorers in the league’s history, and one of the best if not the best Russian player to ever lace up the skates. He had a couple of milestones to hit before officially taking the crown, though, and the first of those was to surpass former teammate Sergei Fedorov to become the all-time leading Russian goal-scorer.
Ovechkin hit the ice against the visiting Dallas Stars tied with Fedorov at 483 and riding a four-game goalless streak…but as we all know, you can’t keep the big man down for too long. After a series of near misses, Ovechkin finally found the back of the net to tie the game at two early in the third period (although the Caps would go on to lose 3-2).
There was some nice symmetry to the goal that put him past Fedorov; Fedorov had scored Goal #475 to pass then-leader Alexander Mogilny back in 2008, as a member of the Washington Capitals and was assisted on by none other than Nicklas Backstrom – who also had the primary helper on Ovechkin’s record-breaker.
Said teammate Taylor Chorney after the game, “”It’s pretty crazy. When you take a step back and think about it, he’s scored more goals than any Russian hockey player ever, and he’s only 30 years old. You know he’s going to score a ton more goals and he’s going to run away with that record.”
Understatement of the century.
