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Ovechkin wins third Rocket Richard Trophy

Alex Ovechkin

Washington Capitols’ Alex Ovechkin, of Russia, holds the Hart Memorial trophy as he poses with Lester Pearson Trophy, left, and the Maurice Richard trophy at the National Hockey League awards in Las Vegas Thursday, June 18, 2009. Ovechkin captured the two most prestigious awards in hockey for the second straight season on Thursday, winning the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP and the Lester B. Pearson Award as the players’ choice for the most outstanding player. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Ryan Remiorz)

AP

A red-hot finish fueled Alex Ovechkin’s surge to his third career Maurice Richard Trophy* on Saturday. Ovechkin finished the 2013 season with 32 goals, edging Steven Stamkos, John Tavares and the rest of the field.

Ovechkin, 27, scored 14 of his 32 tallies in the month of April, breaking the NHL’s record for goals in the month of April. While the lockout aided that goal, it remains a highly impressive run. Overall, Ovechkin scored 24 goals in 29 games since March 1.

Ovechkin has scored at least 32 goals in every season of his eight-year NHL career. He now sits at 371 goals in 601 career regular season games.

The Capitals point out that Ovechkin is the first player in the trophy’s history to win it at least three times. That word is in bold for a reason: the award’s only been around for 13 years. (Wayne Gretzky topped all goal scorers in five different seasons, for example.)

Either way, it’s another great accolade for an offensive force who is enjoying a phenomenal two-month run.

* - Technically, this award victory is unofficial. Jeff Carter poses the greatest threat to Ovechkin’s claim, but the Los Angeles Kings sniper would need six goals to tie him and seven to take it since he began Saturday at 26 tallies.