- Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record of 894 goals is a record that many thought would never be broken.
- Alex Ovechkin scored his fourth goal in three games to reach 30 goals for the 19th time in his NHL career.
- Ovechkin now has 883 goals, which is 12 shy of Gretzky’s record.
Many athletes are playing at a high level really late into their careers now, and one of those athletes is Alex Ovechkin. The Washington Capitals’ star is still filling the net at 39 years old.
Ovechkin is within reach of breaking one of the NHL’s most difficult records. He’s within 12 goals of Wayne Gretzky’s mark now after a 3-1 loss to Calgary.
Ovechkin Within Reach of Gretzky’s Record, 19th Season with 30 or More Goals
Ovechkin lit the lamp for the Capitals at 4:52 of the third period, bringing Washington to within one of the Flames. If you had “Ovi” in NHL goal-scorer bingo, you had a great night!
It was a trademark Ovechkin goal, a one-timer from the faceoff circle, and he scored even though the opposition knew it was coming. Calgary goalie Dan Vladar said:
"I was cheating a little bit, but there is a reason why he has so many goals like that. It's going to be a story for my kids one day that a player like that scored on me, but obviously in that moment, you don't appreciate it. I'm happy we just play twice against them."
It was Ovechkin’s 30th goal of the season, and he has now scored 30 goals or more in 19 of his 20 NHL seasons, which is an NHL record. It only took Ovechkin 42 games to reach 30 goals, which is the fifth-shortest time of his career. He’s also doing it at 39 years old, and Ovechkin will be 40 on September 17, just ahead of the next NHL season.
Ovechkin would have liked to get a win for the Capitals, who are atop the Metropolitan Division by 14 points over Carolina. They have a 10-point lead over Toronto for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Lost in all the attention over Ovechkin chasing Gretzky’s record, is how good the Capitals have been this season.
Will Ovechkin Break Gretzky’s Record This Season?
Ovechkin has been a popular option for NHL player props all season, and there is a good chance he breaks Gretzky’s record sooner than later. He is 12 goals short right now, and the Capitals still have 24 games left. This record may have already been broken if Ovechkin hadn’t missed over five weeks of action due to a leg injury in November and December.
“Ovi” has scored four goals in three games since returning from the break, and he had a hat trick against the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday. The Capitals aren’t changing the way they play for Ovechkin, as this is the way they’ve always played since drafting him first overall in the 2004 NHL Draft. This is what he does, and he does it better than arguably anyone ever to play the game.
Ovechkin has done it all in the NHL, winning the Art Ross Trophy in 2008, three Hart Memorial Trophies, and he won the Conn Smythe in Washington’s Stanley Cup-winning season in 2018. Breaking Gretzky’s record would be the final feather in his cap, but Ovechkin isn’t showing signs of slowing down!
