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The Noon Countdown: Nifty Fifty

Feb 26, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson (74) celebrates with Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) after scoring a goal against the Ottawa Senators in the first period at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

15 – Number of days remaining until the start of the Washington Capitals’ 50th season. But it’s also…

…the number of times a Capital has finished the season with at least 50 goals, which accounts for just under 8% of the total number of 50-goal seasons in the NHL since the Caps’ inaugural season (191 total).

As frequently seems to be the case with these numbers, the leader – by a longshot – is Alex Ovechkin, who has topped 50 goals nine times (the most recent being in 2021-22). He joins Dennis Maruk, the first Capital to score 50 goals, and Peter Bondra as the only members of the franchise to have more than one 50-goal season; Bobby Carpenter and Mike Gartner each hit the 50-goal mark once in DC.

*Note: Because we can’t read numbers correctly, apparently, this was scheduled for the wrong day at noon so…have an 11:30 p.m. number instead. It’s preseason for bloggers, too, folks.

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