"Alex Ovechkin has played 21 seasons in the NHL and recently suited up in his 1,500th game, becoming only the 24th player in league history to reach the milestone. To put Ovechkin's longevity into perspective, ESPN shared a mind-blowing statistic during their telecast of the Capitals-Stars game. Ovechkin has played against 32 percent of all NHL players... ever. Meanwhile, fellow sports legends LeBron James (22 NBA seasons) and Tom Brady (23 NFL seasons) have played against 35 percent and 21 percent of their league's total players."
"NHL Stats helped further put the statistic into perspective. Ovechkin has appeared alongside 2,736 of 8,687 total players in the regular season in NHL history. Ovechkin has dressed alongside a total of 242 different players with the Capitals (skaters and goaltenders)."
"The wide swath of players Ovechkin has battled against is most evident when looking through the 184 different goaltenders Ovechkin has scored on during his career. Ovi's lit the lamp against both young - Igor Shesterkin, Jake Oettinger, and Ilya Sorokin - and old - like Hockey Hall of Famers Martin Brodeur, Dominik Hasek, and Ed Belfour. He even once scored on a father/son combo, though across his time in the NHL and Russian Super League: Daniil Tarasov (December 2021) and Vadim Tarasov (December 2004)."
"Ovechkin's first game against his longtime rival, Sidney Crosby, on November 22, 2005, is another example of his longevity. Hockey Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux also suited up in the game - one of only 26 games Super Mario would play in during his final NHL season. Retired defenseman Brooks Orpik was then a member of the Penguins at that time, too, suiting up in his third NHL season. He'd go on to win a Stanley Cup with Ovechkin 13 years later and is now a development coach for the Capitals."
Alex Ovechkin has played 21 NHL seasons and reached his 1,500th game, becoming the 24th player to hit that mark. He has faced 2,736 of the 8,687 players who have appeared in NHL regular seasons, representing about 32% of all players in league history. Comparisons show LeBron James faced 35% of NBA players and Tom Brady 21% of NFL players. Ovechkin has dressed alongside 242 different Capitals teammates and scored against 184 different goaltenders, including current stars and Hockey Hall of Famers. He scored on a father/son goalie duo and first faced Sidney Crosby in 2005 alongside Mario Lemieux and Brooks Orpik.
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