Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin has taken another step toward NHL immortality.
On Wednesday, Ovechkin notched career goal No. 855, helping seal a Capitals’ 6-3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. The future Hall of Famer now needs only 39 goals to tie and 40 goals to jump ahead of Wayne Gretzky for the most in NHL history (894).
Of the numerous times Ovechkin has lit the lamp, Wednesday’s may have been one of the easiest, shoveling a loose puck into a yawning net with 1:10 remaining in the third period. But, when chasing history, they all look the same in the stat sheet.
Wednesday’s tally was Ovechkin’s 50th against the Flyers, tied for the third-most he’s scored against a single franchise, per the Capitals. According to the NHL, over the past 44 seasons, he’s only the fourth player to record 50 or more goals against four different franchises, joining Gretzky (5), Mario Lemieux (four) and Steve Yzerman (four).
Ovechkin began the 2024-25 campaign without a goal over three games. But he’s made the score sheet twice in the previous three contests, including Wednesday’s empty-netter.
Whether or not Ovechkin can pass “The Great One” this season remains to be seen.
Over six games a year ago, Ovechkin had only two goals, but he’d eventually heat up, ending the year with 31. If repeated, the 39-year-old would still be nine short of Gretzky, meaning he’d have to return for NHL season No. 21 to etch his name atop the list in the record books.
