Wayne Gretzky is one of the premier talents to ever play in the National Hockey League. During his 20-year career, the Brantford, Ontario native played on four different teams, winning four Stanley Cups.
Despite his team’s success, a personal statistic that jumps off the page for hockey buffs is Gretzky’s goal total. ‘The Great One’ played over 1,400 NHL games, finding the back of the net 894 times.
Since Gretzky scored his final NHL goal, goaltending has changed. Thanks to modern technology and sports science, goaltenders are significantly better than they were 20 or 30 years ago.
Many believed that Gretzky’s goal record was untouchable and that current NHL players would not be able to reach his goal total.
Despite these claims, one player is closing in on Gretzky’s goal-scoring total. That player is Alex Ovechkin, the captain of the Washington Capitals.
Ovechkin is in his 20th season with the club. The Russian native currently has 863 career goals, needing only 32 more to break the record many thought was unbeatable.
“I’m always [having] fun. But, when you [are] winning games, when you [are] producing opportunities to have a chance to score goals, it’s always fun to play,” Ovechkin told The Washington Post.
This season, ‘The Great Eight,’ as he is known around the league, has done everything in his power to break Gretzky’s record.
At the start of the season, he scored no goals in his first three games. Since then, Ovechkin has scored eight goals in 10 games, including a three-game goal streak to end October and start November on the right foot.
If Ovechkin stays at his current pace of play, he is projected to score 52 goals this season. 52 goals is not shabby for an old fella in the twilight of his career. As a result, Ovechkin would end the season with 905 career goals, breaking the goal record sometime in the spring.
“Right now, we feel fun. We support each other. When you win the games, the atmosphere always [is] like that from the coaches, from the players,” Ovechkin told reporters on Nov. 1 after the squad defeated the Montreal Canadiens. “I hope it’s going to continue like that, but it doesn’t matter what’s going to happen because it’s a long season. It’s going to have ups and downs obviously, so we have to stick together no matter what.”
Ovechkin is not alone in his pursuit of the all-time NHL goals record. Instead, he is receiving support from teammates and coaches in Washington are helping him every step of the way. His linemates, Alexi Protas and Dylan Strome, are doing what they can to help Ovie achieve his goal, whether that is feeding him the puck in open ice or just encouraging him to do well.
“Get him the puck. I think that’s the best way to describe it,” Strome said to reporters. He has assisted on every Ovechkin goal this season. “Obviously, it’s going well for him. You’ve got to find a way to get him the puck when he’s open … If your instincts are that the guy that has 860 goals is open, you’re probably going to want to pass the puck to him.”
“Obviously, we know what he’s going after, but he just does his job. His job is to score goals and he does a great job of that.”
Although the early season success of Ovechkin is great, one question remains, how long can he keep his run going? On one hand, the prospect of someone setting an age-old NHL record is great for the game of hockey, as it shows that records are made to be broken. Yet, on the other hand, ‘The Great Eight’ is not getting any younger. Ovechkin is 39 years old, making people wonder how long he has left in the tank before contemplating retirement.
Regardless of what you think, all we can do now is grab a bucket of popcorn, sit back, and watch the Ovechkin magic unfold as the NHL season progresses.
