OVIE IN SELECT CUPLESS COMPANY

Alex Ovechkin, who scored his 600th career goal earlier this week, is going into the Hockey Hall of Fame once he retires.

Heck, he was going in before he even scored his 500th. The question is whether the Rocket Richard Trophy leader is going in with his name on a Stanley Cup.

It’s not just the 32-year-old Ovechkin who is chasing that elusive trophy this year. There are a handful of others in the same boat.

Joe Thornton , San Jose: The 38-year-old, who reached the final in 2015-16, has missed close to half the season because of injuries. But with Martin Jones posting a .930 save percentage since the all-star break, he could be due for another shot.

Patrick Marleau, Toronto: Like Thornton, Marleau was in the Cup final with San Jose in 2015-16. But unlike Thornton, Marleau has a team that is younger, hungrier and just starting to crack open its window on contending.

Roberto Luongo, Florida: Luongo got to Game 7 of the Cup final in 2011, but since then hasn’t even reached the second round. Don’t expect that to change this year. Even if the ninth-place Devils qualify for the playoffs, they would play the Lightning in the first round.

Rick Nash, Boston: The 33-year-old wasted a lot of years playing in Columbus before reaching the Cup final with New York in 2013-14, when the Rangers lost in six games to the Los Angeles Kings. But now that he’s in Boston, he could have his best opportunity.

David Poile, Nashville: The GM, who set the NHL record for most career wins, reached the final last season. This year, after acquiring Kyle Turris from Ottawa and Ryan Hartman from Chicago he’s got an even better roster.

Bruce Boudreau, Minnesota: The underachieving head coach couldn’t get Washington or Anaheim over the hump. He’s arguably got less to work with offensively in Minnesota, but a defence-first approach could be the missing ingredient to Boudreau’s lack of playoff success.