Alex Ovechkin Moves Into Second Spot for Most NHL Goals

The 37-year-old Russian gave his Washington Capitals’ side the lead with a wrist shot against the Winnipeg Jets and, in doing so, tied with the great Gordie Howe on 801 goals before he secured his 802nd in front of an empty net late in the third period of his team’s 4-1 win.

Goal number 802 is, of course, a real milestone, but hopes of sitting on top of the pile may have to hold off for quite some time. Ovechkin is still some way off the great Wayne Gretzky, who managed 894 goals over the course of his illustrious career.

Fans of the NHL may want to make the most of what the best hockey betting sites have to offer in terms of wagering opportunities and may wish to back Ovechkin’s Capitals, who sit in third spot in the Metropolitan and are a decent bet to secure their second Stanley Cup triumph, having previously secured the title back in 2017-18.

Ovechkin made his NHL bow way back in October 2005, scoring twice in his debut, and he hasn’t looked back since. 2022-23 is the veteran’s 18th season in the league, and he continues to reach consistent heights and clearly has the motivation to continue to impress at the highest levels.

He’s managed 16 goals over the course of his last 14 games, and if he wants to catch Gretzky, he’ll need to average 29 goals over each of the final four years of his contract, a level he’ll be keen to maintain.

Wayne Gretzky himself believes his record is in serious danger, the ‘Great One’ recently commenting;

“I think we’re past the point of if he’s going to do it,”

"We said a year ago that it's a matter of when he's going to do it. So, it's great for the game. It's a positive, and I think that it couldn't happen to a better person. He's been great for our sport."

"A couple guys that I saw in my career, Mike Bossy, Brett Hull, two of the most prolific scorers I ever saw, and one of the things that the three of them have in common is they don't miss a net very often,"

"Many times, guys have great opportunities, and before you know it, the puck is going around the boards and out the other side. But if you watch closely with Alex and Brett and Mike Bossy, they don't miss the net, and they knew to find that open area where you're sort of between the defenseman and the forward.”

"There's that open a bit of ice that either you have a feel for it or a knack for it or you don't, and Alex definitely has a feel for that," Gretzky added.

Gretzky, who won the Stanley Cup on four occasions, retired from the game at age 38 and secured his 894 goals over the course of 20 seasons, and there is every chance that Ovechkin will mount a concerted push to unseat the legend in the next two years or so.

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