Ovechkin entered the season 42 short of breaking a record by “The Great One” that long seemed unapproachable.
WASHINGTON — Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals is closing in on the NHL career goals record of 894 held by Wayne Gretzky.
Ovechkin has 873 goals and needs 22 to set a new record.
Ovechkin came into the season needing 42 more goals to break a longstanding record set by “The Great One” that many thought was out of reach. The 39-year-old player from Russia is currently in his 20th season in the NHL and was looking to reach 895 goals by February before suffering a left leg injury in November due to a shin-on-shin collision. Despite missing 16 games as a result, he resumed his pursuit for the record in Toronto during the Capitals’ first game back after the Christmas break.
Alex Ovechkin’s last goal scored
Ovechkin an empty-netter with 58 seconds left in the third period of a 4-1 road victory against the Nashville Predators on Saturday night.
What records does Ovechkin already have?
Ovechkin already owns the NHL records for power-play goals and shots on goal.
Furthermore, Ovechkin boasts 133 game-winning goals, just three shy of surpassing Jaromir Jagr’s record of 135. Notably, he has scored against 178 different goaltenders, equalling Jagr’s achievement in this regard. Ovechkin also holds the second position for most multi-goal games with 177, trailing only behind Gretzky’s impressive record of 189.
Earlier in the season, Ovechkin joined an elite group of players by becoming the 60th individual to reach 700 career assists. This milestone includes him in the exclusive club alongside legendary figures such as Gretzky, Gordie Howe, Jagr, Marcel Dionne, and Phil Esposito, as one of the few players to have both 700 goals and 700 assists in their career.
Who are the NHL’s leading scorers?
Ovechkin, after climbing past Mike Gartner (708), Esposito (717), Dionne (731), Brett Hull (741) and Jagr (766), scored goal No. 802 on Dec. 23, 2022, to move into second all time behind Gretzky (894).
Who previously held the career goals record?
Gretzky has held the record since scoring his 802nd goal on March 23, 1994, to pass Howe. He added 92 more before retiring in 1999 after a total of 1,487 games over 20 seasons.
Gretzky holds 55 NHL records and even if his goals mark falls to Ovechkin — which he has said he is excited about — two seem truly untouchable: 2,857 total points and 1,963 assists, which is more than anyone else has in goals and assists combined.
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