Once Alex Ovechkin surpasses Wayne Gretzky's NHL record of 894 career goals, he will accomplish something that many people within the sport thought was once unattainable.
On Saturday, Ovechkin moved nearer to Gretzky's record when he scored his 887th career goal during the Washington Capitals' decisive 5-1 victory over San Jose.
This indicates that the 39-year-old Russian ace is merely eight goals short of surpassing Gretzky's longstanding record, which was once considered unbreakable.
"Luc Robitaille, a hall-of-fame player and one-time teammate of Gretzky, recently stated, 'If we had been asked ten years ago or maybe even eight years back, anyone who played during Gretzky’s time would have responded, "I don’t believe it can be done."'”
Gretzky was considered an exceptional talent, yet his period witnessed elevated scoring levels; with the 1980s seeing considerably more points per game compared to the defensively focused games during the 2000s and 2010s.
However, Ovechkin's exceptional output is largely due to his incredible skill rather than changes in how the game is played.
His journey started well before he stepped onto the ice for the NHL. He was born in Moscow in 1985, the child of a professional soccer player father and a mother who won gold as part of the Soviet women's Olympic basketball team. From an early age, he developed his skills playing for Dynamo Moscow in the Russian Superleague, making his pro debut at just 16 years old.
Chosen as the number one pick overall by the Capitals in the 2004 draft, his entry into the league was postponed due to the 2004-05 lockout. However, once he stepped onto the ice in October 2005, he made an impressive impression—netting two goals in his inaugural game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
During his first season, he scored 52 goals, which won him the Calder Trophy as the top rookie and placed him third in overall league scoring. This performance foreshadowed future successes.
What distinguishes Ovechkin is his remarkable capability to score goals. As Wayne Gretzky stated in an NHL.com interview in October 2024, "It’s all about his shot."
Just consider players such as Brett Hull, Mario Lemieux, and Mike Bossy. These athletes seize their chances. They consistently hit the target. Ovechkin... he never fails to find the back of the net. That’s what sets apart exceptional scorers from merely skilled ones.
Ovechkin’s trademark one-timer from the left face-off circle — which he calls his ‘office’ — has struck fear into goaltenders for twenty years; despite knowing it’s coming, they remain powerless to stop it.
- Scoring machine -
Although Gretzky excelled both at setting up plays and scoring goals — he leads with an impressive 1,963 career assists, significantly more than Ovechkin’s 718 — the latter is solely focused on putting pucks in the net.
Early in his career, when people labeled him as a 'puck hog,' which is akin to calling a soccer player greedy for taking shots at goal, Ovechkin gave an honest answer during a 2008 interview. He said, "No one has ever asked me to make a pass to someone else. Scoring goals is my responsibility, and without shooting the puck, I cannot achieve this objective."
Since then, nobody has voiced complaints, particularly not in Washington, where he has broken franchise records and guided the Capitals to their first-ever Stanley Cup victory in 2018.
But those in the game say there is more to Ovechkin's game than his lethal shot, such as reading of situations.
"Players at his caliber perform actions that nobody else can," said Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery to the Russian publication Sport Express.
"He takes the approach of interpreting key moments uniquely. For instance, when I present a scene from a play with an anticipated response in mind, he views it entirely distinctively. This helps me understand more deeply what sets him apart as an exceptional performer,” he explained.
- Political balancing act -
The sole critique aimed at Ovechkin has revolved around his stance away from hockey, particularly his backing of Russian president Vladimir Putin, notably since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Ovechkin founded "PutinTeam" to support the Russian president in the 2018 election and his profile picture on his instagram account is a picture of him standing with Putin.
When asked about the Ukraine war in 2022, Ovechkin called for "no more war". But when asked about Putin his usual frankness was absent.
"Well, he is my president. But how I said, I am not in politics. I am an athlete and I hope everything is going to be done soon," Ovechkin said at the time. "I'm Russian. It's something I can't control. It's not in my hands. I hope it's going to end soon."
However, it is clear that Ovechkin, who spends every summer in his native Russia, has refrained from making any public statements endorsing the war, even though he understands that such an action would earn praise from Putin and his supporters.
Regardless of his intentions, Ovechkin treads a delicate path outside the arena, yet there is no doubt that the NHL remains enthusiastic about celebrating his accomplishment.
At the beginning of the season, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly stated, 'Some individuals have proposed that due to Alex being Russian, his contributions might be overlooked.'
We completely disagree with that statement. He has been an outstanding ambassador for our sport over the last two decades.
sev/rcw
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