Capitals' Alex Ovechkin Becomes Oldest Player in NHL History with 50 Goals in Season

Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin scored twice in Wednesday night's 4-3 overtime loss to the Vegas Golden Knights to become the oldest player in NHL history to reach 50 goals.

The 36-year-old winger passed Johnny Bucyk, who held the record at 35, and he also tied Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy for the most 50-goal seasons with nine.

"Obviously, it's pretty good company," Ovechkin told reporters. "Obviously, lots of great memories, locker room, everything, hotel. It's gonna stay here forever. Yeah, pretty fun moments."

Ovechkin scored early in the second period to give the Caps a 2-1 lead and found the net again with just over six minutes remaining in the third to tie the game and force overtime. Shea Theodore scored in OT to give Vegas a much-needed two points in the playoff race.

Golden Knights head coach Peter DeBoer was in awe of how well the sniper continues to play.

"How good is Ovechkin? It's unbelievable," DeBoer said. "Two tonight, and he could've had another two. He looks like he's 25 years old out there. He's so dangerous."

The Russian, who tallied 52 goals as a rookie in 2005-06 and hasn't stopped scoring ever since, now has 780 career goals. That puts him within striking distance of Gretzky's all-time mark of 894.

Given how rapidly he's continued to light the lamp, tallying at least 48 goals in each of the last four full seasons, he's got a real shot not only to become the NHL's leading scorer but also to put some distance between himself and the rest of the field.

That would cap an already decorated career that will make him a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He's earned 12 All-Star Game appearances, won the "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the league's leading goal scorer nine times and captured the Hart Trophy as the NHL MVP on three occasions.

Ovechkin also helped lead the Capitals to the first Stanley Cup title in franchise history in 2018, earning the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP.

Washington has clinched another postseason appearance but faces plenty of competition in a deep, talented Eastern Conference field.

But first, Ovechkin gets a few more chances to add to his goal total with five games left in the regular season. Next up is a road game against the Arizona Coyotes on Friday.