There will be a new official leading goal scorer in National Hockey League history not named Wayne Gretzky for the first time in decades, and his name is Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals.
Currently, Ovechkin is at 886 career goals, eight away from tying Gretzky’s record of 894 and nine away from passing him. And Ovechkin’s longtime rival Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins saluted his quest for NHL history via Sports Illustrated.
“It’s amazing what he’s doing at his age––just nonetheless, just to score that much no matter how old you are, but especially at his age. The excitement around it, throughout the league, for fans, everyone’s got a close eye on it. It’ll be amazing when it happens. I think we have them the last game of the season, but I’m sure that at the clip he’s going, he’ll probably end up getting it before that,” Crosby said.
The Capitals do in fact wrap up the 2024-25 NHL regular season against the Penguins before they advance to the Stanley Cup Playoffs; meanwhile, the Penguins are all but assured to not qualify for the postseason thanks to their struggles this season.
Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin is eight goals from tying Wayne Gretzky’s record
Alex Ovechkin scored again as part of Washington’s victory on Sunday against the Seattle Kraken at Capital One Arena, giving him 886 career goals.
ALEX OVECHKIN IS NINE GOALS AWAY FROM HISTORY!
#Gr8Chase pic.twitter.com/Ju9vnwWYdk
— NHL (@NHL) March 9, 2025
Despite it being an empty net goal, it was still a feat of skill to score from distance on a backhand shot, something that didn’t go unnoticed by teammate Dylan Strome via The Washington Post.
“When the goalie is pulled, we’re all thinking it,” Strome said. “I’m sure everyone else is thinking it, too. It’s still a pretty skilled play to go backhand through a guy’s leg or stick and find a way to score that. Nine more.”
Ovechkin and the Capitals are now embarking on a West Coast trip, starting with a matchup against the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center on Tuesday night.
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