Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals is rapidly approaching the NHL’s all-time goals record of 894, set by the legendary Wayne Gretzky.
Currently, Ovechkin has netted 866 goals after scoring 13 times in the first 17 games of the season. To claim the record for himself, he requires 29 more goals.
Beginning this season, Ovechkin was 42 goals away from surpassing what many considered an unbreakable record. At 39 years old, the Russian forward is playing in his 20th NHL season and is on track to reach 895 goals by late February.
In his recent performance, Ovechkin achieved a hat trick during a 5-2 victory over Vegas, scoring goals 864, 865, and 866 in the same venue where he celebrated the Capitals’ only Stanley Cup win in 2018.
This hat trick marked the 16th time he has accomplished this feat on the road, trailing only Gretzky, who has 19, and Mario Lemieux with 19. Overall, this achievement counts as Ovechkin’s 31st career hat trick and extends his record to 176 multi-goal games, just behind Gretzky’s record of 189.
Looking ahead, Ovechkin is scheduled to play his first game in Salt Lake City on Monday night against the Utah Hockey Club.
In terms of career statistics, Ovechkin holds the NHL record for power-play goals with 315 and has registered 6,687 shots on goal.
Additionally, he has 131 game-winning goals, just five away from breaking Jaromir Jagr’s record of 135.
Throughout his career, Ovechkin has scored against 177 different goaltenders, with only Jagr ahead of him with 178.
Earlier this season, Ovechkin became the 60th player to reach 700 career assists and currently has 707 assists.
He now joins an elite group that includes Gretzky, Gordie Howe, Jagr, Marcel Dionne, and Phil Esposito—players who have achieved both 700 goals and 700 assists.
In the rankings of all-time goal scorers, Ovechkin has climbed above legends like Mike Gartner (708), Esposito (717), Dionne (731), Brett Hull (741), and Jagr (766). He scored his 802nd goal on December 23, 2022, positioning himself second in all-time goals behind Gretzky.
Wayne Gretzky has held the career goals record since March 23, 1994, when he scored his 802nd goal, surpassing Gordie Howe. Over his career, Gretzky added 92 more goals before retiring in 1999, finishing with a total of 1,487 goals across 20 seasons. Ovechkin, on the other hand, has played in 1,443 games so far.
Though there’s a possibility Ovechkin may eventually take over the goals record, Gretzky still retains a staggering 55 NHL records, two of which appear insurmountable: 2,857 career points and 1,963 assists—numbers that surpass the total goals and assists of any other player combined.