It’s official: Washington is less than a month away from the start of the season. On October 13, the capital will host New Jersey, and that’s when the final chapter of Alexander Ovechkin’s 20-year quest to claim Wayne Gretzky’s record could begin.
Washington’s captain only has 42 more goals left to reach the coveted figure of 895. That’s exactly what it takes to beat the Big One. And naturally, a number as attainable as 42 makes us wonder more and more about whether a hockey player is capable of shooting that much at the age of 39.
North American Daily Faceoff reporter Matt Larkin also asked this question and decided to estimate when Ovechkin could score the historic 895th goal. What are the predictions?
Related materials
Can Ovechkin break Gretzky’s record in the new season?
“Alex Ovechkin is unavoidable. He can taste Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal record of 894 on his tongue.
Just a year ago, it looked like we might not see the day Ovechkin would score his 895th goal. He struggled through the first 43 games of the season at age 38, scoring just eight goals. On Jan. 24, he scored his 830th career goal, and as the age curve seemed to come down on him like a sledgehammer, that 54-goal gap suddenly seemed endless. But Ovi was back to being Ovi for the rest of the season, scoring 23 goals in his final 36 games — a stunning return given his age. That brings him to 853 career goals, just 41 goals shy of tying Gretzky and 42 goals shy of breaking the record,” Larkin writes.
Even his teammates can’t quite understand why Ovi is struggling now.
“He scored 50 goals in a lot of seasons and it still seemed like he would never be that close. And now that he’s been able to do that, I think it’s amazing that we’re in this situation right now. He’s definitely a monumental player and it was fun to watch him,” said John Carlson, Ovechkin’s longtime teammate, the Washington defenseman.
John Carlson and Alexander Ovechkin
Photo: Nick Wass/AP/TASS
“So will Ovechkin hit the mark this season? If he scores at the pace he did in the first half of the 2023/2024 season, then no. But if he scores at a pace close to what he was at at the end of the last regular season, he will easily surpass that mark in the 2024/2025 season. The NHL is aware of this huge opportunity and plans to celebrate it with enthusiasm when it happens, regardless of Alex’s passport.”
And Larkin’s statement is quite correct. The other day, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly honestly answered a question about Ovechkin’s possible record in the 2024/2025 season.
“It is high on our list of potential events that we want to promote and avoid falling under the radar. Some people have suggested that because Alex is Russian, this must somehow invalidate his achievements. We couldn’t disagree more! He has been a great ambassador for hockey for 20 years and his enthusiasm and passion for the game is infectious. He did so much to raise the standard and popularity of the league and all the players during his reign,” Daly said.
Related materials
“I don’t want to rule anything out.” NHL boss talks Russia at Olympics, Ovechkin and World Cup
Continuing with his reasoning, the Daily Faceoff journalist arrives at interesting and even unexpected assumptions.
“Well, potential ticket buyers: when can we expect Ovechkin to break the record if this event is scheduled for the 2024/2025 season?
If he’s on track to score exactly 42 goals and play 82 games — believe it or not, he’ll break the record in Pittsburgh, facing his old rival Crosby,” Larkin writes.
This would be an amazing story. Throughout his career, Ovechkin lost in many ways to Crosby, was eliminated from the playoffs many times by Pittsburgh, watched the Canadian win three Stanley Cups while he had none, saw Little Sid score the game-winning goal in overtime of the Final at Ovi’s home Olympics in Sochi – Ovechkin can create history before your eyes!
It would be too beautiful.
Pittsburgh superstar Sidney Crosby, who debuted at the same time as Ovechkin in the 2005-2006 season, also shared his thoughts on Ovechkin’s pursuit.
“It’s great to play in the same division and have a history like we have over the years. It’s great to be in the NHL at the same time as him, when expectations were pretty high, and to see him so close to what was probably considered an unattainable record. What he does is incredible and I’m very grateful to be a part of it,” said Sid.
Related materials
‘We saved the NHL’: How Ovechkin and Crosby destroyed the league and revived hockey
Despite the rich history of relations, there has long been no hostility between hockey players, only mutual respect and friendly relations.
“Let’s assume Ovechkin is going to score 45 goals. In this case, he will break the record in his 77th game of the season, away from the New York Islanders.
If he can score 50 goals without missing a game, he will break the record in his 69th game, at home against Philadelphia in late March,” Larkin estimates.
This kind of math is nice. But the reality is even harder to calculate.
“Of course, there is also the possibility that Ovechkin could miss half a dozen games this season for general health reasons, given that he will be 39 years old. That will also affect his career.
Alexander Ovechkin
Photo by: Washington Capitals HC
It’s impossible to predict exactly when Ovi will make history if he manages to score 42 goals or more this season, but we can certainly put a range in which it’s possible. Let’s limit it, for example, to the final 15 games of Washington’s schedule.
Any of these meetings and any of these places could host an event that will become a historic moment for this sport,” writes the journalist.
But in fact, in all these 15 games, perhaps it is in one of them where history will be made.
PhosphorusDate (Moscow time)RivalLocation of the match67 March 16, 2025 San Jose Local 68 March 19, 2025 Detroit Local 69 March 21, 2025 Philadelphia Local 70 March 23, 2025 Florida Local 71 March 26, 2025 Winnipeg Local 72 March 28, 2025 Minnesota Local 73 March 30, 2025 Buffalo Local 74 April 2025 Boston Local 75 April 3, 2025 Carolina Local 76 April 2025 Chicago Local 77 April 2025 Islanders Local 78 April 11, 2025 Carolina Local 79 April 13, 2025 Columbus Local 80 April 14, 2025 2025ColumbusHome81April 16, 2025IslandersAway82April 18, 2025PittsburghAway
“Place your bets. Mark these dates on your calendars. And if you really want to play the guessing game, book your tickets,” urges Larkin.
Related materials
Ovechkin is among the 100 best athletes of the 21st century! Ovi is taller than Mbappé, Ronaldo and McDavid
And for those who can’t reserve tickets, now is the time to stock up on popcorn. It will come in handy.
…imagine: Ovechkin breaking Gretzky’s record in the game against Pittsburgh, in front of Crosby, Malkin and the Pittsburgh fans… Oh, sweet dreams!
