50 in 50...Can the GR8 Eight Pull it Off?
Although he had to leave early in the 2nd period last night, the general consensus is that it is a not a severe injury but a perhaps a muscle strain in the left shoulder/chest area, the talk has already begun.
Despite getting injured against the Blue Jackets, Alex Ovechkin is off to the hottest start of his young career. Having been held pointless only 3 times in the Capitals first 14 games(including last night’s period and a quarter), Alex has been scoring in bunches. Of his 14 goals so far, OV has only had 2 one goal games, while he has scored twice in a game 6 times already.
Given that it seems that Alex has picked up right where he left off at the end of last season, it would not be a far stretch that the ceiling for Ovechkin’s potential totals has gotten even higher.
Elevated to the point where one has to wonder if it’s possible for the Capitals left wing sniper to achieve the very elusive “50 in 50”?
In reality, scoring 50 goals in 50 games is one of the most daunting tasks in all of pro sports.
Only 5 players have accomplished the feat in the 92 years of the NHL’s existence.
They are;
- Maurice Richard: 1944-45 – 50 in 50
- Mike Bossy: 1980-81 – 50 in 50
- Mario Lemieux: 1988-89: 50 in 46
- Brett Hull: 1990-91 – 50 in 49
And of course...
Wayne Gretzky: 1981-82 – 50 in 39
1983-84 – 50 in 42
1984-85 – 50 in 49
It must be noted that the standard for this record is actually scoring 50 goals in
the team’s first 50 games.
Jari Kurri, Alex Mogilny, Lemieux and Cam Neely have all accomplished the feat of scoring 50 goals in or before
their 50th game of the year, but not their teams.
Kurri scored his 50th goal in his 50th game in 1984-85, but it was the Oilers 53rd game of the season.
Alex Mogilny notched his 50th in his 46th game of the season, but it was also the Sabres 53rd game of the year.
Mario Lemieux, who had already accomplished the task of 50 in 50, also repeated the feat in 92-93 and 95-96. In 92-93, Mario scored his 50th in his 48th game of the year, but it was the Pens 72nd regular season game. The last time Lemieux was able to accomplish the task was in 95-96 when he scored his 50th goal in his 50th game, but it was the Pens 53rd game of the year.
Brett Hull, whose father is on the short list of players who almost achieved this milestone, did it twice. Hull scored 50 in 49 games in 90-91 and repeated the feat by scoring 50 in 50 in 91-92.
Cam Neely also accomplished the task, scoring his 50th goal in his 44th game of the year in 93-94, but it was the Bruins 66th game.
Essentially, the only way to accomplish the task of scoring 50 goals in 50 games is keep the goal per game ratio over 1.00 through 50 games. Obviously, only 5 players have been able to maintain that ratio through their team’s 50 game mark of the regular season, but a few have come close.
Bobby Hull, Charlie Simmer, Bernie Nicholls and, yup, you guessed it, Mario Lemieux are all on a short list of NHL’ers who scored their 50th goal of the year in the 51st or 52nd game of the season. Close, but no cigar.
So that brings us to today.
Not since Mario pulled it off in 95-96 has a player toyed with the achievement, but since Alex Ovechkin’s arrival in the NHL, the idea has resurfaced.
Can OV do it? Can anyone in this post-lockout NHL do it?
It must be noted that all of the players who have achieved this milestone maintained goal per game ratios above or at 1 goal per game through their team’s first 50 games.
Richard – 1.00,
Mike Bossy – 1.00,
Jari Kurri – 1.00
Alex Mogilny – 1.04
Cam Neely – 1.14
Brett Hull – 1.00, 1.02
Gretzky – 1.28, 1.19, 1.02
Lemieux – 1.09,1.04, 1.00
As you can tell, it’s near impossible to do it once, so when you consider that Gretzky and Lemieux managed it 3 times(with a bunch of near misses), you then get an idea of how seriously talented and spectacular these two really were.
But can it, will it, ever happen again?
Alex Ovechkin is on pace to pull off an attempt. It’s hard to say if OV will be able to do it given how different the game is today, not to mention his recent injury questions, but if anyone is going to do it, I would have to believe that #8 is the guy for the job.
Here’s how Alex stands up against the group above.
Alex Ovechkin’s Career Totals
| Season | GP | Goals | Points | Goal Per Game | Points Per Game |
| 05/06 | 81 | 52 | 106 | 0.64 | 1.31 |
| 06/07 | 82 | 46 | 92 | 0.56 | 1.12 |
| 07/08 | 82 | 65 | 112 | 0.79 | 1.37 |
| 08/09 | 79 | 56 | 110 | 0.71 | 1.39 |
| 09/10 | 14 | 14 | 23 | 1.00 | 1.64 |
| Totals | 338 | 233 | 443 | 0.69 | 1.31 |
As you can see, it is rather difficult to keep up the goal per game pace of a 50 goal in 50 game campaign. It’s not impossible, just maybe a tad improbable.
He will need to be healthy and get a little lucky, but even then, can the GR8 one do what the Great One did?
Ovechkin Signs on with IMG as Brand Spokesperson
As pointed out on
Kukla’s Korner, Alex Ovechkin has indeed signed on as a spokesperson with IMG Sports & Entertainment.
“IMG Worldwide, the premier global sports, media and entertainment company, announced today that it has signed hockey superstar Alex Ovechkin, for exclusive worldwide management, sponsorship, licensing and marketing representation..."
...
"We are very pleased to welcome Alex to the global team at IMG," said David Abrutyn, IMG's Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Global Consulting. "He is clearly one of the world's greatest athletes and one of the NHL's brightest stars. His electrifying play and charismatic personality will make him one of the most sought after athletes for companies and brands to grow their business. We are looking forward to working with Alex and his family, the Capitals and the NHL to build the Ovechkin brand and the game of hockey around the world."
...
(Brad)Pelletier and (David)Abrutyn will manage the global team at IMG that will support Ovechkin's business.
"I am very happy to become part of the IMG family," Ovechkin said. "It is an honor to join the list of some of the world's iconic athletes that IMG represents. I'm excited to have them handling the off-ice business aspects of my career."
- Sources: Kukla’s Korner, www.marketwire.com.
- You can read more on the signing at
www.marketwire.com.
Notes and Ramblings
- Tarik has reported over @
Caps Insider that Alex Ovechkin is indeed at the Capitals practice complex this morning and that he does not appear to be wearing any brace or showing any sign of discomfort. It could be that OV’s absence from the rest of last night’s game was merely precautionary and that #8 plays on Tuesday.
-
Spector is reporting that Peter Forsberg will be testing out his two wonky feet this weekend for Team Sweden in the Karjala Cup and that this may be the next and perhaps final step towards an NHL comeback. He also lists that two of his former teams, the Avs and Flyers, may be watching him this weekend. You can add the Capitals to that list as well as there has been interest expressed by both sides. Nothing is set in stone obviously as Foppa could easily relapse, but if he can pull through these last steps as a healthy hockey player, than it’s not unforeseeable that the Caps could take a chance on him.
- Speaking of last chances, Michael Nylander appears to be officially finished with his conditioning stint in the AHL as his 2 week sojourn in Grand Rapids is now up. During his brief tenure in GR, Nyls nabbed 1 goal and 5 power play assists, while posting a +3 and helping guide the Griffins to 4 straight wins. It is uncertain what Michael’s next move will be, although everyone under the sun seems to believe that all he has left is the option of going to Russia. While I believe that this truly is his very last option, I do know that Nylander only wants to do one thing and that is to play in the best league in the world. Considering that Nyls does possess his NMC, it is his choice as to what he wants to do, but it is also very apparent that George McPhee is not willing to find a way to make Nylander attractive to NHL teams and seems content on waiting out the Swede until he decides to bolt for Russia. It doesn’t appear that Michael is going to choose Russia anytime soon and given his recent positive play in the AHL, there is still hope of finding a home in the NHL. Time will tell, but the next 2 weeks will be very crucial in determining a solution to this situation. He’s still got something left in the tank and could hold value to a couple teams in need of a power play specialist and some help up the middle. At this point, McPhee should consider swallowing a little pride and just trying to accomplish a move that both sides can agree upon.
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