Will Alex Ovechkin finish his career as the NHL’s leading goal scorer?
Forward Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals could be the one to break Wayne Gretzky‘s record for most career goals in the NHL, but how realistic is this possibility?
Wayne Gretzky was arguably the greatest to have ever played the game but his seemingly untouchable goals record is now being chased down by the one and only Alex Ovechkin.
In an NHL career that spanned over 20 years (1978-1999) while playing for four teams for a total of 1,487 games played, Wayne Gretzky left his mark on the game of hockey that many could never even dream of recreating.
“The Great One”, earned his nickname by establishing numerous records (61 total owned or shared) including most goals in an NHL career (894), most assists (1,963), and most points (2,857). If those alone don’t wow you, think of it this way: if you were to take away all of the 894 goals that Gretzky scored, he would still have the record for the most points in a career.
More from Puck Prose
- Detroit Red Wings 2023 Rookie Camp Has Plenty of Ups and Downs
- This Columbus Blue Jackets rookie doesn’t want to be forgotten
- 2 trades the Boston Bruins must make to secure the Stanley Cup
- 3 reasons the Avalanche won’t win the Stanley Cup in 2024
- This is a big year for Alex Turcotte and the Los Angeles Kings
Just wow.
As unbreakable as most of these numbers may seem, there is a big one that is on the verge of capitulating in the near future, and that’s the record for most goals in a career. Who on Earth could amass such an outer-worldly number of bingos in their career, you might ask?
It is none other than left wing Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals. After earning his long awaited Stanley Cup Championship ring in 2017-18, the scoring title is the next goal (pun unintended) in his historic career.
As it stands right now, Ovechkin is 35-years old, entering a shortened 2020-21 NHL season with a career total of 1,152 games played, 706 goals (8th All-Time), 572 assists, and 1,278 total points. While he will soon take claim to another record, as he’s currently sitting third All-Time leader in career power-play goals (260), his destiny is to dethrone Wayne Gretzky from what was once believed to be an untouchable title.
So we know that Alex Ovechkin is within reach of this accolade, but how realistic is it for him to actually break the record? To see how many seasons it would take for him to reach it, let’s say, for example, If he continues to score at least 30 goals each season (his career-low for goals in a single season is 32), it will take him roughly seven years to surpass 894 goals.
Now, if he scores, say 40 goals per season, it will take him around five years to reach this monumental accomplishment. Surely, if he remains able to pot 50 goals in a season here and there, as he’s done eight times before, he can expidite that process by a year or more.
While his production never falters, scoring 48 goals in a shortened 68-game season in 2019-20, that could start to change as Ovechkin approaches the 40-year old mark. What’s made “The Great Eight” such a dominant player in the NHL is his physical presence.
Alexander Ovechkin is an absolute house, as he stands at a freakish 6-foot-3 and 235-pound frame, but If he keeps finishing 200+ hits each season like he’s been doing for 14 of the 15-years he’s been in the show, it will be a miracle if he can even skate at the age of 40-years old. Finishing that many hits every year takes an unbelievable toll on your body, especially as you get older.
To put all of this into simpler words, if Alex Ovechkin can remain healthy and continue scoring anywhere between 30-50 goals until the age of 40-years old, he will without a doubt become the new All-Time Goal Scoring leader of the NHL, but it’s all dependent on his health.
When you’re this close to surpassing one of those ridiculous records set by Wayne Gretzky, you’re going to do everything you physically can to break it, and if that means finishing fewer hits each year, so be it.
Next. Zucker is the hero Pittsburgh needs right now. dark
If there is anyone in the world of hockey who will ever come close to breaking the scoring record set by the Great One, it’s the Great Eight because if he can’t, nobody ever will.