Wayne Gretzky is not only the greatest hockey player of all-time, he’s the greatest athlete that the four major North American sports have ever produced. The gap between “The Great One” and everyone else in hockey history is as deep as, well, the ‘87 Oilers. That second spot, though, is up for grabs. There are compelling arguments to be made for Mario Lemieux, Gordie Howe, Bobby Orr, Patrick Roy, and even Sidney Crosby. The most compelling argument, however, goes to a player who is often dismissed from the conversation altogether, and that’s Alexander Ovechkin. There are flaws on Ovechkin’s resume. In fact, every player listed above has a major flaw on their resume. Lemieux–like Ovechkin–was hardly a defensive stalwart, and he had just six seasons in which he played more than 67 games. Howe played in a league with six teams, which made his path to awards and championships the easiest of anyone in the conversation. Crosby was robbed of three prime seasons due to concussion symptoms, and he has the fewest Hart/Vezina trophies of the group. Orr was done by 27, and played in the expansion era, which was the weakest in the history of the NHL. Roy won only half as many Vezinas as a rival goaltender. They all have flaws. Aside from North American bias that might be in play, any “hate” (or, let’s call it “lack of love”) for Ovechkin at the second spot exists under the mistaken assumption that a flawless candidate exists.
Before we move to Ovechkin’s resume, let’s tackle the biggest criticism that gets levied against him: he isn’t an “all-around player.” There comes a point when an athlete is so superior at the most important skill in a sport, that none of the other stuff matters. Michael Jordan is the greatest scorer in the history of the NBA. He has the highest scoring average of all-time and led the NBA in scoring a record 10 times. Nobody in the modern era has ever come close to matching Jordan’s scoring. Nobody is out there dissing Jordan for never finishing in the top-5 in assists, or being a poor 3-point shooter. Alexander Ovechkin has led the NHL in scoring a record nine times. Nobody in the modern era of hockey has ever come close to that. We’re not talking about a good goal scorer, we’re talking about, by far, the greatest goal scorer of all-time, and that distinction has little to do with his status as the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer, and everything to do with how much more he dominated his era than any player in history. The obvious counter is to point out that Jordan won six championships to Ovechkin’s one. However, Ovechkin’s competition hardly has Jordan-esque championship totals themselves. Lemieux and Orr seem to be the most popular choices at the second spot, and they each won two championships. They also had the luxury of playing with Jaromir Jagr and Phil Esposito–two of the top 20 greatest players of all-time. Ovechkin has had no such luxury with Washington.
Now, about that “all-around game” criticism, which is just code for “doesn’t have huge point totals”… Hockey fans–myself included–have a bad habit of obsessing over “points.” I was admittedly ecstatic when Connor McDavid became the first player since 1996 to reach the 150-point mark in game 80 of the 2022-23 season, and then again when he landed right on 100 points in the last game of the season in 2024-25 to extend his 100-point streak to five. Points are fun. However, the fact that a goal, a primary assist, and a secondary assist are viewed equally is an absurdity. The second assist (which accounts for roughly half of all assists) often has little to do with the outcome of a play, and probably shouldn’t even exist (I mean, why not add a 3rd assist?). Even many primary assists are harmless passes that have little to do with the puck going in the net. If assists were fairly valued in the point tally, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation; Ovechkin would be the near unanimous choice. Let’s imagine that world–a world where the creator of the “points” statistic took an extra second to think about whether it made sense. Let’s imagine that a primary assist is worth ½ of a point, and a secondary assist is worth ¼ of a point (rough estimates of what fair values could be). Assuming there are as many primary assists as secondary assists, the average assist would equate to .375 points. This is what that world would look like:
With assists being fairly rated in the points statistic, nearly all of the concerns about Ovechkin’s point totals would be erased. He’d carry a clear points per game advantage over Howe, and his massive longevity advantage over Lemieux would be represented in a 300+ margin in career points. He would have a points lead over Crosby, who has long been viewed as the superior player due to his point totals. In that world, Ovechkin isn’t even overwhelmed by Gretzky’s production. The numbers in the table above represent a world where points are adjusted for league scoring pace and assists are valued more fairly. This is much closer to reality than simply heading over to the points leaderboard and regurgitating a flawed statistic to devalue the greatest goal scorer in NHL history. The point of the game is goals after all, and Ovechkin is the greatest there ever was:
Ovechkin’s Goal Dominance
1). Led the NHL in goals 9 times which is the most in NHL history. No player to debut since 1979 has done it more than 3 (!!!) times.
2). No player has even finished in the top-5 in goals more than 6 times since 1979.
Editor’s Note: This is my favorite Ovechkin statistic.
3). Finished top-5 in goals 15 times, which is the most in NHL history. No player since the Original Six has done it more than eight times.
4). Most adjusted goals in NHL history (999), 74 ahead of 2nd place (Gordie Howe), 158 ahead of 3rd place (Jaromir Jagr), and 241 ahead of 4th place (Wayne Gretzky).
5). Most seasons with 50+ adjusted goals (11). Nobody else has more than seven (Rocket Richard), and nobody since the Original Six has more than five.
6). Most seasons with 40+ adjusted goals (16). Nobody else has more than 10 (Gordie Howe and Brett Hull). Gretzky and Lemieux have 15 combined (!!!)
Editor’s Note: This is my second favorite Ovechkin statistic.
7). Highest adjusted goals per game in NHL history (.67, tied with Mario Lemieux) despite playing in 575 more games than Lemieux (since 1935). Bobby Orr’s entire career lasted 657 games.
8). Only player in the history of the NHL to be voted an NHL First Team All-Star at left and right wing.
9). Most NHL First Team All-Star selections (8) by a forward since the Original Six (tied with Gretzky).
10). Led the NHL in Power Play goals a record six times. No player since the Original Six has done it more than three times.
11). Only player in NHL history to lead the NHL in Power Play goals and Even Strength Goals five times each.
12). One of only four players in NHL history to win three Hart Trophies and a Conn Smythe Trophy.
It should also be noted that Ovechkin is 3rd in NHL history in hits. He may not be an elite defender, but he is significantly more physical than Lemieux and Crosby. When talk turns to Ovechkin lacking an all-around game, this aspect of his repertoire is conveniently left out. Ovechkin’s combination of elite goal scoring and physicality has never been seen before in NHL history.
While Ovechkin has the second most impressive resume in history, it’s not by much. The difference between Gretzky and Ovechkin is bigger than the difference between Ovechkin and anyone in the top 15. It’s more likely than not that Lemieux and Crosby would’ve had superior resumes had they been afforded the luxury of Ovechkin’s health. That makes Connor McDavid a very interesting player to follow over the next 10 years. He has an opportunity to fully realize his career potential the way Lemieux and Crosby could not. If that happens, and he’s able to win a Stanley Cup or two, then Ovechkin’s hold on the second spot starts to become perilous. Until then, Ovechkin has the best case of a group of flawed resumes (relatively speaking, of course).