While the NHL takes its Olympic break, there is time to take a step back and look at the best players in the league.

Those who do online betting know the Hart Trophy, for the player deemed most valuable to his team, is being fought out by a short list of players that are lead by someone looking to make history.

Alexander Ovechkin is in a position to gather in his third MVP award and would be the first European to do so. He would also join Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretzky as the only players to win three years in a row.

While the season is just over the half way point, he already has a clear lead. Not only has he led his team to the best record in the league at the break, but the Capitals hold a whopping 13 point lead over the second placed team in the Eastern Conference.

He has also dominated in individual statistics. He leads the league in goals (42), points (89), plus/minus (+43) and shots on goal (283). He is also sixth in assists (47) and fourth in power-play points (28). All while missing eight games earlier in the season with an ankle injury.

He is currently on pace for 57 goals and 67 assists for 121 points that would match career highs in assists and points. This would also be the second highest number of points scored by a player in the past decade; behind Joe Thornton’s 125 in 2005/06.

If he was able to win the award, he would join Orr, Bobby Clarke, Mario Lemieux, Gordie Howe and Howie Morenz as the only players to have won the award three times and trail Eddie Shore(4) and Gretzky (9) in total wins.

He is the likely choice for this seasons MVP barring injury so Caps fans should start knocking on wood now.