Ovechkin hit the NHL with literally a thundering, glass-breaking crash — the hit that he delivered on Columbus defenseman Radoslav Suchy that cracked the plexiglass on his very first NHL shift. He scored twice in that game, too, but afterward, all anyone could recall was that monstrous hit.

Alex Ovechkin is closing in on Wayne Gretzky for the all-time NHL goals record. In his pursuit of Gretzky, Ovechkin has passed one hockey legend after another while climbing through the top 10. As a rookie in 2005-06,