Ovechkin Becomes 4th Player with 6 50-Goal Seasons in 1st 10 Years

Washington Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin scored his 50th goal of the season during the first period of Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes, becoming just the fourth player in NHL history to record six 50-goal campaigns within his first 10 seasons in the league, per Sportsnet Stats.

Ovechkin is also one of just four players to put up six 50-goal seasons before his 30th birthday, joining Wayne Gretzky (nine), Mike Bossy (nine) and Guy Lafleur (six), per Sportsnet Stats.

The 29-year-old Russian will comfortably win the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the NHL's leading goal scorer this season, as no other player has more than 40 goals.

While he only has one Art Ross Trophy (2007-08) for leading the league in points, Ovechkin will soon have five Maurice Richard Trophies to his name, including each of the last three.

He is also among the favorites to win the Hart Memorial Trophy for league MVP, which he previously took home in 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2012-13.

The biggest obstacle to Ovechkin's fourth MVP award is an unusually strong crop of goaltenders, with Pekka Rinne, Carey Price and Devan Dubnyk all getting Hart consideration at some point this season.

Regardless of how the voting turns out, Ovechkin long ago emerged as the greatest goal scorer of his generation. He leads all active players with his six 50-goal seasons, while second-place Jaromir Jagr has only accomplished the feat three times, per ESPN Stats & Info.

Ovechkin also has a shot at becoming the first player in NHL history with 10 50-goal seasons, although the history with Bossy and Gretzky suggests that those tend to dry up beyond the age of 30.