Surprise! Alex Ovechkin is pretty good at hockey, and he’s picking up more hardware to prove it.
After being robbed of what should have been his fourth Ted Lindsay Award (not that we’re bitter), Ovechkin tonight accepted his sixth Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy as the league’s leading goal scorer. It’s his third consecutive Richard and fifth overall.
Ovi best!
Alex Ovechkin's mini Rocket Richard ready for him to take home. #NHLAwards #Caps pic.twitter.com/f0lz4R7t0j
— Washington Capitals (@washcaps) June 25, 2015
From the NHL:
Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin claimed his third consecutive and fifth career Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy as the League’s goal-scoring leader, adding to the ones he earned in 2007-08, 2008-09, 2012-13 and 2013-14.
Ovechkin became the sixth player in NHL history to record six 50-goal seasons, joining Mike Bossy (9), Wayne Gretzky (9), Marcel Dionne (6), Guy Lafleur (6) and Mario Lemieux (6). He also led the League and set a career high/franchise record with 25 power-play goals, while his 11 game-winning goals paced the NHL and matched a personal best. Ovechkin, who finished 2014-15 ahead of Tampa Bay Lightning forward Steven Stamkos (43) and New York Rangers forward Rick Nash (42), scored 41 of his 53 goals in the final 55 games of season (0.75 GPG). He posted his 473rd and 474th career goals on April 2 to surpass Peter Bondra (472) as the leading goal-scorer in Capitals history.
The Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy, a gift to the National Hockey League from the Montreal Canadiens, honors one of the game’s greatest stars. During his 18-year career with the Canadiens from 1942-43 through 1959-60, Richard was the first player in NHL history to score 50 goals in a season and 500 for his career. He was the League’s top goal-scorer five times, played on eight Stanley Cup champions and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961.