Even if you are not a hockey fan, you have to be impressed by the year that Alexander Ovechkin is having. He has 63 goals through 80 games, and he is the first player since Mario Lemieux and Jarmoir Jagr scored 69 and 62 goals respectively in 1995-1996.
Most hockey fans know that Wayne Gretzky holds the single season goal record with 92 in one season. You probably also know that the record was accomplished in a time when scoring in the NHL was much higher than its present levels.
In 1981-1982, NHL teams scored the second most goals per game in league history, with 8.02. This year, the NHL is only averaging 5.59 goals game. Clearly, 63 goals in 2007-2008 is more impressive than it would have been in 81-82.
44.3% more goals were scored per game were scored in 81-82 than are scored in 07-08. So, it is reasonable to assume that if we had an 81-82 scoring rate in 07-08, Ovechkin could light the lamp around 44.3% more. Let’s take a look at what would happen if we adjust for deflation, or the defense oriented NHL.
A. Ovechkin – 63 goals X 1.434 = 90.3 goals
If Alex were to score two goals in the next two games, his adjusted total of 93.2 would be better than Wayne Gretzky’s 81-81 total of 92 goals.
Let’s take a look at the best adjusted totals of all-time:
1. Brett Hull – 86 goals in 90-91 (6.91 goals per game) = 99.8 g
2. Wayne Gretzky – 92 goals in 81-82 = 92
3. Mario Lemiuex – 85 goals in 88-89 (7.48 goals per game) = 91.1 g
4. Alexander Ovechkin – 63 goals in 07-08 (5.59 goals/game) = 90.3 g
5. Mario Lemiuex – 69 goals in 95-96 (62.9 goals/game) = 87.9 g
With two more goals, Alex moves into second place, which would an amazing accomplishment in only his third season. Even in you aren’t a hockey fan, you just have to respect how good this guy really is:
The Angry T
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That highlight is from last year, but yes he is sick, what is more impressive is he is the only person on him team who is any good. He has accounted for 27% (63/235) of his teams goals and factored in 47% [(63+47)/235] of them. Also, Washington only has 3 other players in the top 100 in scoring: Backstrom 38th (67 pts), Mike Green 82nd (53 pts), and Viktor Kozlov 88th (52 pts). Ottawa has 3 in the top 13.
Ovie is in his third season. Still an incredible accomplishment!
ovechkin’s in his third year, not his second, and that video’s actually from his rookie year, but yeah he’s amazing. better goal scorer than crosby anyday.
This is not Ovechkin’s second season, it is his third. He played his rookie season the same year as Crosby and won the Calder. His rookie season would have been the year prior but that was the lockout season, so he is a year behind where he could/should be.
aeneas07, I have to disagree. We’ve got a solid core of young players who are all good. We’ve got a top-10 goalie in save %, a top-3 rookie, a top-scoring defenseman. Ovie is great, and scoring-wise, he’s the best on our team, if not in the league. But he is far from the only skater on our team who is any good. Ottawa may have 3 scorers in the top 13, but they aren’t helping much, since Ottawa is dropping like a rock in points and the Caps are running up points faster than anyone except Pitt since mid-season, if memory serves me right.
Let’s go Caps!!
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[...] season. 17. Spector is reporting that the Flames have re-signed Daymond Langkow. 18. The Angry T blog with a projection of how many goals AO would have scored in the early ’80’s. 19. [...]