Alex Ovechkin Reveals the Three Best Goals of His Career – And His Historic 895th Didn’t Make the Cut trucc

Alex Ovechkin is the NHL goals king, scoring 897 times during his 20-season career in the league. And that total does not even include the hundreds of goals he’s scored combined in the NHL playoffs and internationally, both for Dynamo Moscow and Team Russia.

Sunday, after competing in the “Match of the Year”, an exhibition game pitting Russian NHL stars against the KHL’s best, Ovechkin was asked by Match TV to name his top three favorite career tallies earlier this week.

Ovi’s 895th goal, which broke the NHL goals record, did not make the list.

Goal 1
Russia vs. Canada – 2006 Winter Olympics (February 22, 2006)

“The first was at the 2006 Olympics, when we beat Canada,” Ovechkin said.

Ovechkin started with one of the least talked about, but still massive, goals that he has ever scored. As a 20-year-old at his first-ever Olympic Games for Russia in 2006, the young, boisterous winger scored the game-winning goal for his country in the quarterfinals against Canada.

After making a diving play to keep the puck in the offensive zone while on a power play, Ovechkin drove to the front of the net and finished off a slick feed from future Washington Capitals linemate Viktor Kozlov. The goal was Ovechkin’s third ever against Martin Brodeur after scoring on him twice for the Capitals against the Devils earlier in his rookie 2005-06 campaign.

Russia would win the game 2-0 after Alexei Kovalev added a late third-period tally, knocking the Canadians out of the running for a medal. Unfortunately, those two goals would be their last at the tournament as they were shut out 4-0 by Finland in the semifinals and 3-0 by the Czech Republic in the bronze medal game.

Ovechkin ended the tournament with five goals in eight games.

Goal 2
Capitals vs. Coyotes – “The Goal” (January 16, 2006)

“The second was my rookie season, when I scored a behind-the-back shot against Phoenix,” Ovechkin said.

Ovechkin’s second choice is the goal some might say is the greatest goal ever scored in NHL history, commonly referred to as simply “The Goal.” While falling and twirling around on his back, Ovi sent a “simply sensational” shot past Phoenix Coyotes goaltender Brian Boucher’s outstretched stick 11:54 into the third period of a 6-1 win.

The goal occurred in front of Wayne Gretzky, who was the Coyotes’ head coach at the time. Gretzky could be seen looking up in awe at the replay on Phoenix’s jumbotron. An eight-year-old Auston Matthews was also at Glendale Arena when Ovechkin netted the historic tally.

At the time of scoring, the goal was just Ovechkin’s 32nd career NHL marker. Capitals play-by-play man Joe Beninati remarked on the game’s broadcast that Ovechkin was approximately 860 goals away from Gretzky’s all-time total, jokingly wishing him luck. Ovechkin would go on to break Gretzky’s mark just over 19 years later with Beninati on the call.

Goal 3
Capitals vs. Golden Knights – Game 5 of 2018 Stanley Cup Final (June 7, 2018)

“The third was the Stanley Cup Final,” Ovechkin said. “When I scored in the fifth game of the series against Vegas.”

Ovechkin’s final choice was the last goal he scored in the 2018 Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights. After receiving a perfect saucer pass from Nicklas Backstrom while on a power play, Ovechkin pounded home his third goal against Vegas in the championship series to put the Capitals up 2-1 at the 10:14 mark of the second period.

The goal did not stay the game-winning marker in Game 5, but the Capitals would take home the franchise’s first Stanley Cup after Lars Eller potted a loose puck behind Marc-Andre Fleury with 7:37 remaining in the third period. Ovechkin would later be the recipient of the Conn Smythe Trophy as NHL playoff MVP after recording 27 points (15g, 12a) in 24 games.

Ovechkin ranks 12th all-time in playoff goals (77) and first among active players despite advancing past the second round only once, during the 2018 championship run. All 11 players ahead of him won at least two Stanley Cups.

Ovechkin heads into the 2025-26 season just three goals shy of becoming the first ever NHL player to score 900 career goals. He is also just 42 goals behind Gretzky (1,016) for the all-time, combined regular season and playoff goal record.

Do you agree with Ovi’s choices? Please leave your own favorite goals of his in the comments.