At this point, it seems like only a matter of time before Alex Ovechkin passes Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal record.
Ovechkin was on pace to do it this season after he scored 15 goals in his first 18 games to move 27 away from surpassing Gretzky’s 894 career tallies. But the Capitals captain suffered a broken leg on Nov. 18 and was forced to put his pursuit of The Great One’s record on pause.
But no matter when he does it, Gretzky thinks Ovechkin will tighten up a bit the closer he gets to a record once thought untouchable.
“He’s human. He’ll get nervous near the end,” Gretzky said Monday at the NHL’s Board of Governors meetings. He also added that he’s in “full support” of his record being broken.
Adding to the nerves will be the fact that Gretzky will likely be in attendance for any game that the Capitals superstar has a realistic chance to break the record. According to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, he and Gretzky will travel with the Capitals once Ovechkin gets within four or five goals of the record.
“Alex was on a tear and got hurt, unfortunately,” Bettman said during his guest appearance on Monumental Sports Network’s Alt-Cast of Washington’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday. “And he had a bunch of multi-goal games. I think when we get down to five, certainly no less than four, I’ve got to start following him around, and The Great One is going to be doing that as well. And I think we’ve concluded that, either five or four. We can’t take any chances because when he gets that close, my guess is he’s going to be so focused it’s going to happen in a multi-goal game.”
Ovechkin skated by himself for the first time since his leg injury on Dec. 2.
He wore a tracksuit and a helmet with stick in hand but no other hockey gear during his light workout, which Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said he believed was the 39-year-old long-time captain’s first time back on the ice since the injury.
“To get the skates on and get out on an ice sheet, it was nice to see,” Carbery said. “Just the first step. No timeline updates or anything like that. It’s just a step in the progression of him coming back.”
