Can/Will Ovie pass Gretzky in All Time Goals?

[NHL HHOF]

[NHL HHOF]

[NHL HHOF]

On 12/26/2023 at 7:56 AM, NHL HHOF said:

Wayne Gretzky scored 894 goals in 1487 games in 20 NHL seasons. This is Alex Ovechkin's 19th season, but it should have been 20 because of a cancelled season, and he also played in a shortened lockout season, and two shortened covid seasons. Alex Ovechkin is not going to get his 895th goal in season 20, but that's okay. Ovechkin has played 1378 games so far. He has to play 109 more games to tie Wayne Gretzky, and score 66 more goals to tie Wayne Gretzky.

 

Alex Ovechkin's 19th regular season has ended. Alex Ovechkin currently stands at 1426 games played, and 853 goals. Next season, Alex Ovechkin has to play 61 more games to tie Wayne Gretzky, and score 41 more goals to tie Wayne Gretzky. In order for Alex Ovechkin to say he did it quicker than Wayne Gretzky did, he would have to score his 894th goal in his 1486th game. Wayne Gretzky played 1487 games. 

 

GAMES - Wayne Gretzky - 1487 minus Alex Ovechkin's 1426, equals 61

GOALS - Wayne Gretzky - 894 minus Alex Ovechkin's 853, equals 41

 

I will have to go back and check which game Wayne Gretzky scored his 894th goal in, to be more specific on the quickness. 

 

Alex Ovechkin scored 31 goals this season. He scored 42 goals last season, and 50 goals the season before that one.

 

Do you think Alex Ovechkin can still score 41 goals in one season, or is he too old?

 

Edited April 17 by NHL HHOF

[NHL HHOF]

Does anyone know the game number that Wayne Gretzky scored his 894th goal in? How can I find out?

[JR Ewing]

4 hours ago, NHL HHOF said:

Does anyone know the game number that Wayne Gretzky scored his 894th goal in? How can I find out?

 

Gretzky scored #894 in his 1,477th game played.

 

1. Figuring it out was very easy: I went to his profile at Hockey Reference: https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/g/gretzwa01.html

2. Saw that he came into his last season with 1,415 GP.

3. Brought up his gamelog from his final season: https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/g/gretzwa01/gamelog/1999

4. Goal #894 came in his 62nd game of the year.

5. 1415 + 62 = 1477

 

 

Edited April 17 by JR Ewing

[NHL HHOF]

40 minutes ago, JR Ewing said:

 

Gretzky scored #894 in his 1,477th game played.

 

1. Figuring it out was very easy: I went to his profile at Hockey Reference: https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/g/gretzwa01.html

2. Saw that he came into his last season with 1,415 GP.

3. Brought up his gamelog from his final season: https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/g/gretzwa01/gamelog/1999

4. Goal #894 came in his 62nd game of the year.

5. 1415 + 62 = 1477

 

 

Thank you. So Alex Ovechkin would have to score goal number 894 in game number 1476 or earlier, to say he did it quicker than Wayne Gretzky.

[NHL HHOF]

Wayne Gretzky played 1487 regular season games in 20 seasons in the NHL, but he scored his final goal, goal number 894, in game number 1477. Alex Ovechkin will have to score goal number 894 in game number 1476 or earlier, to say he did it quicker than Wayne Gretzky.

 

Alex Ovechkin has played 1426 games. Subtract 1426 from game number 1477, in which Wayne Gretzky scored his last goal, goal number 894, and you get 51 games. Alex Ovechkin has 853 goals. 894 goals minus 853 goals equals 41 goals. Alex Ovechkin has to score 41 goals in 51 games to tie Wayne Gretzky, or score 41 goals in 50 games or less, to say he did it quicker than Wayne Gretzky did.

 

[NHL HHOF]

[RBGordie]

I hope not. He's an overrated moron on and off the ice. It would be a fluke if he passed Gretzky since he's not even close to as great a player. 

[NHL HHOF]

WAYNE GRETZKY

 

100^th Goal in Season 2 – BEATS ALEX OVECHKIN BY 1 SEASON

200^th Goal in Season 4

300^th Goal in Season 5 – BEATS ALEX OVECHKIN BY 1 SEASON

400^th Goal in Season 6 – BEATS ALEX OVECHKIN BY 3 SEASONS

500^th Goal in Season 8 – BEATS ALEX OVECHKIN BY 3 SEASONS

600^th Goal in Season 10 – BEATS ALEX OVECHKIN BY 3 SEASONS

700^th Goal in Season 12 – BEATS ALEX OVECHKIN BY 3 SEASONS

800^th Goal in Season 15 – BEATS ALEX OVECHKIN BY 3 SEASONS

850^th Goal in Season 18 – BEATS ALEX OVECHKIN BY 1 SEASON

885^th Goal in Season 19

894^th Goal in Season 20

 

ALEX OVECHKIN

 

100^th Goal in Season 3

200^th Goal in Season 4

300^th Goal in Season 6

400^th Goal in Season 9

500^th Goal in Season 11

600^th Goal in Season 13

700^th Goal in Season 15

800^th Goal in Season 18

850^th Goal in Season 19

900^th Goal in Season 20 OR 21

[NHL HHOF]

Rumor mill: Alex Ovechkin wants to finish his career in Russia

 

https://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/rumor_mill_alex_ovechkin_wants_to_finish_his_career_in_russia/s1_17387_40402841#:~:text=However%2C Ovechkin may well continue,playing career with Dynamo Moscow.

 

[NHL HHOF]

[NHL HHOF]

Alex Ovechkin says he would have already broken Wayne Gretzky’s goal-scoring record without lockouts and the pandemic: ‘But, unfortunately, such moments happen’

 

https://russianmachineneverbreaks.com/2024/07/24/alex-ovechkin-already-broken-wayne-gretzkys-goal-scoring-record-without-lockouts-pandemic/
 

Alex Ovechkin is just 41 goals away from a share of the NHL’s all-time, goal-scoring record currently held by Wayne Gretzky. Ovechkin’s hot finish to the 2023-24 campaign gave him 853 career tallies with two years remaining on his contract with the Washington Capitals.
 

The 19-year journey, now nearing its final stages, hasn’t been without its bumps in the road. Ovechkin recently discussed some of the challenges he’s faced during a Russian-language interview on Podcasts with Amiran Sardarov. The interview was then transcribed by sports.ru.

 

“If there had been no lockout and no pandemic, I think Gretzky’s record would have been broken by now,” Ovechkin told Sardarov and via a translation by Google Translate. “But, unfortunately, such moments happen.”

 

Ovechkin has been a bastion of health throughout his nearly two decades in the NHL, missing just 59 total games in his career and only 35 of those games due to injury. However, he has lost another potential 155 games due to two separate league lockouts (2004-05, 2012-13) and the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

If Ovechkin scored at his current career goals-per-game rate (.60) over those 155 games, The Great Eight would have another 92 goals on his ledger, giving him 945 in his career.

 

Some believe Ovechkin would have stayed in Russia even if the NHL had played its 2004-05 campaign. Even then, if you subtract those 82 potential games, he’d still have already eclipsed Gretzky with 43 additional goals over the remaining 73 games and have 896 total.

 

Overall, Ovechkin still has his main sights set on a team goal he has long said is more important to him than any individual accolade.

 

“I want to win the Stanley Cup again,” Ovechkin said. “Words cannot describe the emotions and pleasure that we, our friends, family, and fans received.”

 

 

[NHL HHOF]

[NHL HHOF]

[SaucyJack]

Gretzky says “you’d be chasin’ 1072 if they counted my WHA goals.  And maybe more, we need to check Gordie’s and Bobby’s totals.”

[NHL HHOF]

 

Gretzky record ‘kind of a long way,’ Ovechkin says

Forward 42 goals from breaking all-time mark with Capitals, who could have different look after playoff exit

 

https://www.nhl.com/news/washington-capitals-alex-ovechkin-realistic-in-pursuit-of-nhl-goals-record

 

ByTom Gulitti

@TomGulittiNHL NHL.com Staff Writer

April 30, 2024

 

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Alex Ovechkin remains realistic about his pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record of 894 goals after completing his 19th NHL season, 42 goals away from breaking it.

 

“I'm always saying the same thing: If I make it, it's good, but it's still 42 goals,” the Washington Capitals forward said Tuesday. “It's kind of a long way, but it's possible if you're going to be healthy, yeah.”

 

Ovechkin ended a roller-coaster season by being held without a point by the New York Rangers in a four-game sweep in the Eastern Conference First Round. It was the first time the 38-year-old left wing didn’t get at least one point in a Stanley Cup Playoff series.

 

That came after he led Washington with 31 goals in 79 regular-season games, increasing his career total to 853. But Ovechkin scored just eight in his first 43 games before getting 23 in his final 36.

 

“There's a lot of pressure on him,” Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said. “[That] he's expected to carry us offensively at 38 is probably not fair.”

 

That’s why MacLellan hopes Washington can strengthen its lineup around Ovechkin this offseason. MacLellan would like to see young forwards such as Connor McMichael (23), Aliaksei Protas (23), Hendrix Lapierre (22) and Ivan Miroshnichenko (20) take on bigger roles next season, but he’ll also seek outside help through trades and free agency to upgrade an offense that was 28th in the NHL in goals per game during the regular season (2.63).

 

“I think we need to add something in that area,” MacLellan said. “We need to get a little more skill, a little more goals. [We’ve got to] find a way to do that.”

 

Ovechkin, who will turn 39 on Sept. 17, acknowledged this was probably the most challenging season of his career after longtime teammate Nicklas Backstrom stepped away after the center played only eight games because of recurring hip problems, and center Evgeny Kuznetsov struggled before being traded to the Carolina Hurricanes on March 8.

 

It was a transition season for the Capitals under first-year coach Spencer Carbery, and Ovechkin struggled the first three months before finding his rhythm later in the season to help Washington (40-31-11) qualify for the playoffs as the second wild card from the East.

 

“It was tough with the whole situation, the injuries, line combinations,” he said. “I was talking to ‘Carbs’ all the time and we just try to figure out like, ‘OK, what’s the best way for me to start doing my job and start scoring goals, make some points?’”

 

MacLellan said he expects Backstrom to remain on long-term injured reserve next season, and forward T.J. Oshie is facing an uncertain future because of recurring back problems. So, there could be more change coming, but Ovechkin likes the steps the Capitals took this season.

 

“I’m proud of this group because of what we’ve been through since the beginning of the year, ups and downs, injuries,” he said. “We still tried find a way to be in the playoff race and be able to be in that kind of mix until the end of year. It was a fun year.”

 

Edited August 20 by NHL HHOF

[NHL HHOF]

 

Ovechkin can break Gretzky's goals record this season, Capitals coach, GM say

Washington captain 42 from eclipsing NHL all-time mark of 894

 

https://www.nhl.com/news/topic/nhl-insider/alex-ovechkin-may-break-wayne-gretzkys-goals-record-this-season

 

ByTom Gulitti

@TomGulittiNHL NHL.com Staff Writer

August 19, 2024

 

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Alex Ovechkin’s 20th NHL season could turn out to be a special one that ends with him breaking Wayne Gretzky’s League record of 894 goals.

 

Second in NHL history with 853 goals, the Washington Capitals forward needs 42 to surpass Gretzky’s total. Coach Spencer Carbery and general manager Chris Patrick each believe Ovechkin could reach that number this season after the Capitals upgraded their roster around him with a flurry of offseason moves that included trading for talented forwards Pierre-Luc Dubois and Andrew Mangiapane and skilled offensive defenseman Jakob Chychrun.

 

“Do I think he can score 42 goals this year? Yes, I do,” Carbery said Monday. “I absolutely think he’s capable of that.”

 

Ovechkin, who has been gearing up his offseason training at home in Russia, is approaching his 39th birthday on Sept. 17 and reminded after last season that, “It's still 42 goals. It's kind of a long way.” He has scored at least 42 goals 13 times in his NHL career, though, including as recently as 2022-23, when he scored 42.

 

“‘Ovi’ has done so many things that people never thought he could do, so I think it’s on the table for sure,” Patrick said last week of Ovechkin breaking the record.

 

There were signs Ovechkin’s age was catching up with him last season, when he dropped to 31 goals, his lowest output in an 82-game season. He reached that total in dramatic fashion, though, overcoming scoring eight goals in his first 43 games to score 23 in his final 36 and help Washington qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs as the second wild card from the Eastern Conference.

 

“For me, putting himself in good positions to get opportunities is the key,” Carbery said. “And he has shown year after year, including last year, if he puts himself in enough positions to shoot the puck in a good spot, he gets around the net, he’s spending time in the offensive zone, we’re generating power plays, we’re doing a good job on the power play of getting pucks on net, all the things we need to do, he will put the puck in the back of the net.

 

“So if he’s doing those things, which I expect he will, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that he could score 42 goals at his age because of how talented of a scorer he is.”

 

The Capitals’ four-game loss to the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference First Round provided some reminders of their and Ovechkin’s limitations. Ovechkin was held without a point in a postseason series for the first time in his NHL career and Washington scored seven goals in the four games.

 

That was a continuation from the regular season when the Capitals ranked 28th in the NHL in scoring with 2.63 goals per game, so adding more offense became a top offseason priority.

 

Dubois is coming off a disappointing season with the Los Angeles Kings with 40 points (16 goals, 24 assists) in 82 games, but the 26-year-old had an NHL career-high 63 points (27 goals, 36 assists) in 73 games with the Winnipeg Jets in 2022-23.

 

Washington hopes Dubois rebounds to be the top-line center it has been seeking in its bid to remain competitive in Ovechkin’s final seasons (he has two seasons left on his contract) and help him chase Gretzky’s goal record while building a bridge to its next era. Dubois will get a look at playing on a line with Ovechkin but could end up playing with Mangiapane as his left wing depending on how all the new pieces fit together in camp.

 

Regardless, it should be more difficult for opponents to focus solely on stopping Ovechkin.

 

“Maybe Ovi gets an opportunity against an easier matchup for a couple shifts or whatever it is, and he can take advantage of it,” said Patrick, who was promoted from assistant GM on July 8 to replace Brian MacLellan, who remains team president. “But for sure, for any scorer to have success you want to try to get him good matchups, and the best way to do that is to make it harder on teams to match lines. … So I think we at least helped that cause by some of these moves we made.” 

 

From his conversations with him following last season and during this offseason, Carbery expects to see a motivated Ovechkin in camp after he was disappointed by his playoff performance. Carbery has discussed trimming Ovechkin's ice time a little this season from his average of 19:13 per game last season to get the most quality out of his minutes, and the Capitals captain committed to changing his offseason training some to account for his age. 

 

Carbery said photos on social media of Ovechkin on vacation earlier in the offseason might have been misleading to some, but he has “full confidence” Ovechkin will be ready for the start of camp. 

 

“People have to also remember that Alex is 38, turning 39.” Carbery said. “He’s done this for a long, long time, he’s got a family, kids, so at the end of the year he also needs time to be able to reset mentally and go on vacation and spend time with his family and get away from the game of hockey, so that when July 4 or 5 when his training ramps up, he feels mentally, ‘I’m ready to go and I’m excited and I want to get in the gym.’”

 

Though Ovechkin is within striking distance of Gretzky’s record, don’t expect that to be a focal point this season for the Capitals, whose primary objective will be to qualify for the playoffs again. But Carbery acknowledged, “If he’s scoring 42 goals for our team, that is a very good thing.” 

 

And the record talk will be difficult to avoid the closer Ovechkin gets to it.

 

“I think we as a staff, our players, his teammates, him, do a really good job of [focusing on], ‘Let’s do the necessary things to get there,” Carbery said.” But there’s no doubt that people inside this organization, coaches, players are excited to hopefully see that day come as soon as possible.”

 

Edited August 20 by NHL HHOF

[SaucyJack]

The real score:

 

Howe: 975

Gretzky: 940

Hull: 913

Ovechkin: 853* 

 

* rookie season delayed 1 year by 2004-05 lost season (lockout)

 

It’s fair to say that Ovi would have scored roughly 40 goals if 04-05 season had occurred, thus putting him at 893.  (82 shy of Howe’s combined NHL/WHA regular season goals.  One wonders how much higher Howe’s career totals would have been, though, had he played the 71-72 and 72-73 seasons.)