Even more impressive, what was once thought to be an untouchable milestone -- Wayne Gretzky's career mark of 894 goals -- seems not only within reach for the 36-year-old Ovechkin but a foregone conclusion as long as he can stay healthy over the coming seasons.
"I am amazed, I'll tell you what, and I'm sure everybody is in the same boat," Blue Jackets head coach Brad Larsen said ahead of
Friday night's Hockey Fights Cancer Night visit from the Capitals
. "Just the fact that Gretzky's goal-scoring record is actually within reach, I would have lost a lot of money if you would have asked me that 10 years ago if that was attainable. But he seems to be getting better."
Somehow, that appears to be true. Ovechkin has had plenty of memorable seasons -- his 65-goal campaign in 2007-08, his seven other 50-goal seasons and his magical 2018 Stanley Cup run -- but this is one of his best starts. In a league that gets younger and faster by the day, Ovechkin comes to Columbus with an 11-11-22 line in 13 games, placing second in the league in goals and third in points.
Project it out to an 82-game season and Ovechkin would finish with 69 goals and 69 assists. Unsustainable? Probably, but certainly impressive.
"It's incredible," Larsen said. "You watch him, he's a more mature player. You watch how he plays, he plays hard. He still has pace to his game. He's a bull -- I think he's about 235 pounds, and man, when he gets a little bit angry, look out.
"But he's a special player. I think everybody can agree on that. We're witnessing a guy that is doing something special here every day."
This will be Ovechkin's 38th career game against the Blue Jackets, with 18 goals on the career ledger against Columbus. Fans are likely tired of seeing those lasers from the left circle against the Jackets, but it's also undeniable Ovechkin brings a show to town.
"I don't know Ovechkin at all," Larsen said. "I just watch him. He enjoys playing. He has passion for the game. He brings energy and juice. I guess it would be fun when you're scoring every night, but there's work that goes into that. It doesn't just happen, right? You think it just happens because of his shot, but it's not just the shot. He goes into the hard areas."
