Ovechkin Chasing Gretzky: Is It a Matter of If or When? Will Ovi Catch Gretzky’s Record This Season?
Photo Credit: SportingNews.com
Wayne Gretzky scored his final goal with the New York Rangers on March 29th, 1999. It was his 894th goal, far and away the most in NHL history. There’s now a certain Russian from the Washington Capitals who looks to break this record. But how close is Ovechkin to breaking this historic record? He is only 51 goals away from 894 sitting at 853. The crazy part is he has scored 51 goals in his career in a season. But can he still hit this goal? At 39 years old, does he have enough gas left in the tank?
Here are the Top 5 scorers in NHL History as of today.
1.Wayne Gretzky;
Oilers, Kings, Blues, Rangers
894
.Alex Ovechkin
Capitals
853
3.Gordie Howe
Red Wings, Whalers
801
4.Jaromir Jagr
Penguins, Capitals, Rangers, Flyers, Stars, Bruins, Devils, Panthers, Flames
766
5.Brett Hull
Flames, Blues, Stars, Red Wings, Coyotes
741
Well, it's hard to say, but most analyses show that he can notch it before he hits 40 in 2 years unless he retires (which is highly unlikely as he has shown no desire to hang up the skates anytime soon). Ovechkin last year notched 31 goals in 79 games, statistically scoring one goal for every 2.5 games. Which is worse than the year before in 2023-2024 where he scored 42 goals in 73 games where he averaged one goal every 1.7 games. So there has been a slight decline noticeably from his historic scoring years like 2007-2008 season where he scored 65 goals. It is also important to take into account that he has scored 50 and more goals in 9 seasons! Which is absolutely insane and why he is most deserving to break this record.
Photo Credit: APNews.com
Another thing that worries me slightly is that in this last playoff series against the New York Rangers, Ovechkin laid a goose egg in the stat department; In 4 games he had zero points and a -2. And in terms of the eye test , he looked flat with no real impact on plays defensively or offensively especially on the power play where he shines.
The landscape of the Capitals has also grown dry and barren through the past few years with much of the talent from the 2019 Stanley Cup. Evgeni Kueznetzov has left the NHL to play for Russia, Braden Holtby has retired, and with T.J. Oshie’s future looking bleak after injuries, the Capitals core is dwindling slowly. That said, the future does look bright as rising stars like Connor McMichael, Logan Thomspon, Hendrix Lapierre, and Ivan Miroschinkeno waiting in the wings.
According to NHL.com when Ovechkin was asked about the milestone he told reporters, “I'm always saying the same thing: If I make it, it's good, but it's still 42 goals.” So who really knows if he can get it. Will it tarnish his career if he doesn’t get it, no, of course not. But how amazing would that be? Regardless, we are witnessing history unfold and it’s an honor to watch the Great 8 play and change the game.
