How close is Alex Ovechkin to Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career goal record?

On By Littum

Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals approaches NHL career goal record of 894 owned by Wayne Gretzky.

Ovechkin has 866 goals after scoring 13 in the first 17 games this season. He needs 29 to set a new record.

Ovechkin entered the season 42 without breaking a record of “The Great One” that long seemed unapproachable. The 39-year-old Russian is in his 20th NHL season and is on track to reach 895 sometime in late February.

Alex Ovechkin’s last goal scored

Ovechkin had a hat trick in a 5-2 win in Vegas on Sunday, scoring goals 864, 865 and 866 in the same arena where he and the Capitals celebrated the franchise’s only Stanley Cup championship of 2018.

It was his 16th career hat trick away from home. Only Gretzky and Mario Lemieux with 19 and Marcel Dionne with 17 have more. Ovechkin’s 31st career hat trick overall was also his 176th multi-goal game, second only to Gretzky (189).

When is Ovechkin’s next game?

Ovechkin will play his first game in Salt Lake City on Monday night against the Utah Hockey Club.

What are Ovechkin’s stats?

Ovechkin already owns the NHL record for power-play goals with 315 and shots on goal with 6,687.

He has that too 131 match-winning goalsfive away from breaking Jaromir Jagr’s mark (135).

Ovechkin has scored on 177 different goalkeepers and counts. Only Jagr is ahead of him at 178.

Ovechkin earlier in the season became the 60th player to record 700 career assists and is now at 707. He joined Gretzky, Gordie Howe, Jagr, Dionne and Phil Esposito as the only players with 700 goals and 700 assists.

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 December 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 totaling 1,487 games over 20 seasons. Ovechkin has played in 1,443 total games thus far.

Gretzky has 55 NHL records, and while his goals fall to Ovechkin — who he has repeatedly said he’s excited about — two seem truly untouchable: 2,857 total points and 1,963 assists, which alone are more than anyone else has in goals and assists together.

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