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Alex Ovechkin is on the verge of even more hockey history. After breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record this past season, the Great 8 will head into the 2025-26 campaign just nine games shy of becoming the 23rd player in NHL history to play in 1,500 career games.
Ovechkin would have likely hit the mark during the 2024-25 season, but suffered a broken leg in November that cost him 16 games. The legendary winger recently spoke to Match TV about his upcoming accomplishment and was asked if he’s tired of talking about more personal milestones.
“No, it’s part of my profession, my life,” Ovechkin said, as translated via Google Translate. “You just get used to it, you’re ready for it. It’s clear that playing 1,500 games for one team is worth a lot. Very few players in the entire league have played that many, so this figure will be very important for me.”
Ovechkin currently ranks 17th in all-time games played among forwards and would be just the 16th to reach the 1,500-game mark. There are no active forwards ahead of him on the all-time list, with Anze Kopitar being closest behind him at 1,454 career games.
Brent Burns is the lone overall active player ahead of Ovechkin with 1,497 career games and will likely beat him to the mark as he signed a one-year contract with the Colorado Avalanche in free agency. Ryan Suter, who hit the milestone this past season playing with the St. Louis Blues, has yet to sign a contract this summer and is reportedly undecided on retirement.
Ovechkin has been open about wanting to reach the 1,500 game threshold, placing it second to the all-time goals record when asked last summer.
“I want to play 1,500 games in the NHL,” Ovechkin said then. “I don’t remember how many I have now. I can get there in two seasons. I already have the most games among Russian players in the NHL. I think that’s a great achievement. And this is for one club – only I and [Evgeni Malkin] have that.”
Once he does hit 1,500 games in the league, Ovechkin will become just the fourth European skater to achieve the milestone, joining Jaromir Jagr (1,733), Zdeno Chara (1,680), and Nicklas Lidstrom (1,564). Ovechkin will crack the top 10 on the all-time list if he plays in at least 59 games next season (1,550) and could move to as high as ninth-most (1,555).
Ovechkin has not committed to playing in the NHL past next season, but has left the door open for that possibility. The 2025-26 season is the final year on his current contract with the Washington Capitals.
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