Trophy Tracker: Hart

To mark the midway point of the 2021-22 regular season, NHL.com is running its third installment of the Trophy Tracker series this week. Today, we look at the race for the Hart Trophy, given annually to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team as selected in a vote by members of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association.

Alex Ovechkin has an explanation for why he's having one of the best seasons of his NHL career at 36 years old and in his 17th season.
"I'm still have fun," the Washington Capitals forward said. "I still love the game. I'm enjoying being on the ice, off the ice, spending time with this group of guys. That's the most important thing."
Ovechkin has been the Capitals' most important player and the best goal-scorer in the NHL since arriving in 2005. He's arguably never been better or more instrumental than he has been this season, considering the circumstances the Capitals have dealt with.
Ovechkin is NHL.com's favorite to win the Hart Trophy at the midpoint of the season.
He is tied for second in the NHL in goals (29), tied for second in points (58), and is the only Capitals player to play all 45 games this season.
Washington hasn't had its second line of
Anthony Mantha
, Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie for most of the first half because of injuries and COVID-19. Its goaltending has been middle of the pack in the NHL (.904 save percentage). But the Capitals are right there in the Stanley Cup Playoff race, fourth in the Metropolitan Division, largely because of Ovechkin's impact.
"He's been really good for us," Capitals coach Peter Laviolette said. "He's been a good leader, and certainly his presence on the ice with the way he's played and his performance offensively with what we've had to deal with, he has been a constant threat every night. He's a reason why we're able to get to the position that we're in.
"We've been able to maintain a level of winning that I think is hard to do if you don't have him playing."
Ovechkin previously won the Hart Trophy in 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2012-13.
If history is an indicator, he won't slow down. He has missed 42 out of a possible 1,284 regular-season games during his NHL career.
"He's flying, he's playing great hockey," Capitals forward Tom Wilson said. "That's part of who he is as a captain, as a leader, as a superstar. When guys are down everyone needs to step up, especially your best players. He's done that for our team. He's been that rock, that steady presence all year long, and when he's driving the bus and he's pushing forward, it brings everybody into it."
Ovechkin is also climbing the chart among the
NHL's all-time goal scorers
. He's fourth with 759 and passed Marcel Dionne (731) and Brett Hull (741) this season, with Jaromir Jagr (766) and Gordie Howe (801) up next. Wayne Gretzky (894) is the leader.
Ovechkin is targeting that record, and he'll get there if he continues to drive the Capitals the way he has this season.
"It's not easy to play 82 games in the way that he does and however many thousand hits he has and flying around scoring goals, and he does it every night," Wilson said. "It's very impressive. You feel that as a teammate and it's contagious. You want to be right there with him."
Voting totals (points awarded on a 5-4-3-2-1-basis): Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals, 74 points (12 first-place votes); Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida Panthers, 43 (two first-place votes); Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers, 42 (one first-place vote); Leon Draisaitl, Oilers, 20; Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning, 15; Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche, 9 (one first-place vote); Cale Makar, Avalanche, 9; Steven Stamkos, Lightning, 5; Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins, 5; Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs, 5; Nazem Kadri, Avalanche, 4; Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota Wild, 3; Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins, 3; Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary Flames, 2; Juuse Saros, Nashville Predators, 1
NHL.com staff writer Tom Gulitti contributed to this story