"I always say he's going to score as many goals as he wants to for a grand total," said Bossy, an analyst for TVA Sports. "Whether he gets to 50 next year, there's not only talent, but a lot of luck that's involved also and you have to stay healthy. But with his durability, it's a matter of how many more years he wants to play and if he can continue playing with good centermen."
Ovechkin' focus at the moment is on closing out the regular season before the Capitals begin their quest to repeat as champions in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Capitals can clinch first in the Metropolitan Division with a win against the Canadiens, and Ovechkin will look to pad his four-goal lead on Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers and John Tavares of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the race for the Rocket Richard Trophy.
Ovechkin would be the first player to lead the NHL in goals eight times, surpassing Bobby Hull. The Moscow native led the League in goals in 2007-08 (65), 2008-09 (56), 2012-13 (32), 2013-14 (51), 2014-15 (53), 2015-16 (50) and 2017-18 (49).
Not taking anything for granted, Ovechkin isn't ready to discuss what another Richard Trophy would mean to him.
"Let's wait until the end of the year and then we'll talk," he said.
The No. 1 pick in the 2004 NHL Draft, Ovechkin (33 years and 201 days old when the regular season ends Saturday) would be the sixth player in NHL history to lead the League in goals at age 33 or older and the first since Phil Esposito in 1974-75 (33 years, 45 days). The others were Bill Cook in 1932-33 (36 years, 165 days), Gordie Howe in 1962-63 (34 years, 358 days), Nels Stewart in 1936-37 (34 years, 82 days) and Maurice Richard in 1954-55 (33 years, 228 days).
When Ovechkin and the Capitals visited the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto on Feb. 20, their trip included a stop in the D.K. Doc Seaman Hockey Resource Centre's famed Stick Storage Centre, which holds more than 4,000 sticks, the oldest dating to 1875. Ovechkin, an avid stick collector, was drawn to a wooden one with a flat blade that belonged to Richard. He wondered how the Canadiens legend could have scored 544 goals using such a stick.
Not shy, Ovechkin asked, "Can I have it?"
"I have a big collection, so it would be nice to have it," Ovechkin said.
"They said, 'No.'"