10 CAREER DEFINING

ALEX OVECHKIN CARDS

2015-16 Upper Deck Winter Classic #WC-3

There’s something about playing on the biggest stages that brings out the best in Ovechkin. The 2016 Winter Classic played at Nationals Park in Washington, DC was a prime example. Ovechkin scored midway through the first period, then set up Troy Brouwer’s game-winner with 13 seconds remaining in the third to lead the Caps to a 3-2 victory over the Blackhawks. This single highlights those sweet jerseys debuted by Washington at the game, as well as Ovi’s contributions. It’s fairly easy to track down, as well as being one of the most affordable cards on this list.

2016-17 Upper Deck A Piece Of History 500 Goal Club #GCAO

Ever since Maurice Richard became the first to reach the milestone in 1957, the act of scoring 500 career goals has been the mark that separates the immortals from the merely great. That was clearly on Ovechkin’s mind when he secured his place in history with a second-period tally against the Senators on Jan. 10, 2016. “It’s a special moment,” he said. UD has honored those who reached the mark with the ongoing Piece Of History relic cards, creating this limited single of Ovechkin in 2017. An autographed parallel to this card is limited to just 25 copies and stands as one of his most coveted signed singles.

2018 Upper Deck Alex Ovechkin Stanley Cup Champion #AO3

There’s joy, and then there’s whatever you call that emotion of elevated ecstasy Ovechkin unleashed after finally winning the Stanley Cup in 2018. His exuberance, both on the ice and in the long, sleepless celebration that followed Washington’s win over Vegas, raised the stakes for every champion who follows in his footsteps. Safe to say no one has yet proven they can party quite like Ovi. This single is part of a three-card series issued by UD to honor Ovechkin’s triumph. It was available primarily in the D.C. area for a limited time as a gift to purchasers of $20 or more of the company’s product.

2019-20 O-Pee-Chee Patches #P-26

The Rocket Richard Trophy has been awarded annually to the season’s top goal scorer since the summer of 1999. Not a long run but long enough for Ovi to set a nearly unbreakable record. He’s taken home the hardware nine times over those 22 years – no one else has more than two. While he shared his most recent win with David Pastrnak, his last solo victory – and most recent 50-goal campaign – was honored with this manufactured patch card. While singles from this set aren’t brutally tough at 1:72, this one remains a decent challenge to track down.

2021-22 Upper Deck GameDated Moment Gold #2

On Oct. 13, 2021, Ovechkin buried a pair of thirdperiod goals in Washington’s season-opening win over the New York Rangers to move past Marcel Dionne into sole possession of fifth place on the NHL’s all-time goal-scoring list. This card, one of UD’s weekly online-only releases that highly key moments from the season, was limited to just 100 copies, with a standard version limited to 499. Ovechkin built on that torrid start, scoring nine goals over his next 11 games to overtake Brett Hull and move into fourth. With Jaromir Jagr and third spot within his sights, he’ll soon have another GDM to collect.