Gretzky planning to be in attendance as Ovechkin chases NHL's all-time goal record

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) looks on during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Edmonton Oilers, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)

Wayne Gretzky will be in the house when history is made.

The NHL’s all-time leading goal-scorer is expected to be in attendance for Alex Ovechkin’s games as the Washington Capitals star gets closer to eclipsing the Great One’s record, according to the league.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman will also follow the 39-year-old around North America as he churns towards Gretzky’s high-bar of 894 career goals. It’s not clear exactly when Gretzky and Bettman will begin tailing Ovechkin.

The Russian’s goal tally currently sits at 886 with 16 contests remaining on Washington’s regular-season schedule after starting the 2024-25 season 41 shy.

Gretzky, who owns a long list of individual records, has topped the goal category since March 1994 when he passed Gordie Howe’s previous mark of 801.

The NHL has several other initiatives planned to honour Ovechkin, including an in-arena celebration when No. 895 eventually hits the back of the net.

“Alex Ovechkin’s pursuit of the NHL’s all-time goal-scoring record is a major milestone not just for hockey, but across the entire sports world,” Jon Weinstein, the league’s chief communications officer, said in a statement. “We’re looking forward to marking this historic chase in multiple ways that reflect the magnitude of this incredible moment.”

Ovechkin’s goals have come in many forms through his career — from acrobatic to jaw-dropping to the one-timer that’s fooled opponents for two decades. He’s registered nine separate 50-goal seasons, including the 65 he scored in 2007-08, and has reached at least 40 an eye-popping 13 times.

Gretzky, who works on TNT’s NHL broadcasts in the U.S, filled the net early in his career with single-season totals of 92, 87, 73 and 71, but lost steam late with an average of just 20 goals over his final four campaigns before retiring in 1999.

Ovechkin’s run, meanwhile, has included the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign and two pandemic-stunted seasons.

If not for those stoppages, he might have already passed Gretzky.

Ovechkin, who somehow missed only 16 games earlier this season after breaking his left leg, appeared to be slowing down when he scored just 33 times in 2016-17, but the bulldozing winger responded with a combined 148 goals over the next three seasons.

The No. 1 pick at the 2004 NHL draft registered his ninth 50-goal showing in 2021-22 and put up 42 in 2022-23 — when he eclipsed Howe’s 801 to move into second place all-time — before adding 31 more to his ledger last season.

The approaching milestone moment, however, comes against the backdrop of Russia’s continuing war in Ukraine following the country’s 2022 invasion.

Ovechkin has been a supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin in the past, and his Instagram profile picture features the two men.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said before the start of the season that the league did not view the impending accomplishment as something that should be diminished by the association.

“Some people have suggested that because Alex is Russian that somehow this should be marginalized,” Daly said at the time. “We couldn’t disagree more with that. He’s been a terrific ambassador for our game for 20 years now. His enthusiasm for the game and passion for the game is infectious.

“He’s done a lot to lift the tide for the league and for all players during his tenure. It’s something, definitely, we want to celebrate.”

Gretzky, meanwhile, has been heavily criticized in Canada over the last number of weeks for his ties to U.S. President Donald Trump, who started a trade war with his country’s northern neighbour and continues to muse about making it the “51st state.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 14, 2025.

Article written by Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press