Mildly interesting post by Brian Costello over at The Hockey News on the topic of Ovechkin's and Crosby's production.

He doesn't say a single new thing, but it's a point worth reiterating: Statistically-speaking, hockey players peak at the age of 24. There are certainly notable outliers as he points out, like Lemieux's 69-goal seasons at age 28 and 31 and some outstanding seasons by Gretzky and Brett Hull in their mid-20s, but as a general rule NHL players will realize their greatest statisical output at the age of 23 or 24.

That does not mean players don't get better as they age. While goal-scoring and point-production might go down, often players improve defensively as well as in those intangibles like 'leadership' and 'ice vision.

So enjoy Ovechkin's goal-scoring while it lasts, for at age 24 history suggests his highest-scoring years have either past or will pass in the next few seasons. He'll no doubt be a productive player, barring injury, for the entire length of his current monster contract, but the numbers may not get any higher.