NHL player Alex Ovechkin just had a birthday on September 17 and celebrated, surrounded by family, friends, and teammates. Amid a large private dinner following the Capitals’ win over St. Louis Blues with 3-2 at the Capital One Arena, the team celebrated their win and the 34th birthday of their star captain. While victory rang in the hearts of Ovechkin and those around him, he was likely thinking of future goals. Specifically, beating Wayne Gretzky’s goal record.
Left Wing Alex Ovechkin (#8) of the Washington Capitals score in the second period. Photo by Lewis.Bleiman@prohockeynews.com
Ovechkin’s strategy to beat Gretzky’s record is similar to pro roulette strategies. He takes his time, predicting and accounting for potential losses, while steadily making exceptional progress. It is this undeniable vision of the bigger picture that has ranked Ovechkin 13th all-time.
Big Goals to Extend His Exceptional Career
Without a doubt, Alex Ovechkin has already accomplished incredible NHL milestones. Currently with 658 goals, he is less than 50 away from becoming the eighth player in history to score above 700 goals. He has also won the Rocket Richard Trophy eight times.
At 34, he is currently much younger than many of the other 700-club members at his current goal count. Although Gretzky’s record is still 237 away from Ovechkin, the next four years could prove fruitful if Ovi maintains his momentum. Gretzky was 38 when he retired, giving Ovechkin about four more years to catch up.
What gives many hope is that at this point Ovechkin has already surpassed where many of the other eight were at age 34. He should hit 700 quickly, escalating his career towards becoming the only NHL player to ever beat Gretzky’s legacy.
A Road of Challenges
Although Ovechkin is without a doubt the best Russian-born NHL player with 1,179 points scored in 1,054 games, some challenges may lie in his way as he pursues his next big dream. “It was always the goal to score as many goals as I can,” Ovechkin has said. “But every year is harder and harder.”
He is talking about not just the natural difficulties associated with aging but facing a contract expiration in two years. Concerns about maintaining his performance as he ages are also present. He is healthy and takes excellent care of himself, but all athletes are aware of the impermanence of peak condition.
Left Wing Alex Ovechkin (#8) of the Washington Capitals takes a slap shot from the blue line. Photo by Lewis.Bleiman@prohockeynews.com
Known for being in almost perfect shape, he recently reminded his fans of the lightning-fast chance that everything could change. Earlier in September he fell hard on the ice during an informal scrimmage. He took such a blow that he lay on the ice, face down, for longer than a minute before teammates helped him up. While leaving the ice, he could not put weight on his left leg. Fortunately, ten minutes later he returned and was able to continue the scrimmage. Even though it sent a murmuring of fear and concern across his fan base, he apparently has not suffered any resulting issues.
Fortunately, the odds still do seem in Ovechkin’s favor. He only missed a combined 30 games throughout his 14-year career so far and only one game in the last three seasons. He also has a proven team backing him up, contributing to his powerhouse career. Joined by Nicklas Backstrom, Braden Holtby, John Carlson, and up-and-coming Wilson, the team could score another Stanley Cup, adding to Ovechkin’s goals and significant wins as captain.
Time, Health, and Stats on His Side
In spite of his recent ice accident, one salient reason Ovechkin seems confident he can break Gretzky’s record over the next few years is his faith in his health. At an age when many hockey players are looking at retirement, Ovechkin is set on taking care of himself.
“The important thing is (to be) healthy,” he said in an interview on the 31 Thoughts podcast. “If you’re healthy, you can still play the game the way you want to play. Of course (the record) matters, but like I said, I’m not going to score 300 goals in two years. It’s going to take five or six years. I have to be healthy enough to do that.”
Ovechkin’s score averages also help. He is scoring at 0.61 goals per game, which is 50.2 goals per 82 games throughout his career. If he sticks with this pace and keeps playing 82 games per season, he could pass Gretzky in 389 games. Do the math and one could see him fulfilling this goal in a little over four and a half seasons, putting him at the age of 38.
Yet, he may not score 50 goals per season as he ages, and he may not make all 82 games each year. If things do not run like clockwork, he may only start scoring 40 goals per year, extending the time to reach his goal into his 40s.
However, Gordie Howe, Jaromir Jagr, and Bret Hull all played through their 40s. Gordie retired when he was 52. If Ovechkin stays on top of his health and his game, he certainly could pull this off.
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