Will Alex Ovechkin catch Wayne Gretzky? Follow the NHL’s scoring record as the Capitals star continues to climb the list of all-time scorers
Will he or not? That’s all anyone wants to know.
Attempting to gauge whether Alex Ovechkin will overtake Wayne Gretzky for the NHL’s all-time goalscoring record involves identifying several moving targets and providing answers to most questions. can answer. And while the easy answer is simply “It’s too early to tell,” that’s not all that interesting either.
Ovechkin entered the season 164 goals behind Gretzky. With a rough start to the Capital lore, here’s a closer look at what exactly would take to threaten Gretzky’s place in history.
All stats updated as of November 15.
NHL all time goal leaders
On March 23, 1994, Gretzky surpassed Gordie Howe for the scoring record with an 802. In the second period at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California, Gretzky surpassed Canucks’ Kirk McLean to break it. Howe’s nearly 14-year record. – about the record.
Nearly 28 years later, Gretzky is still holding on to form as no one else has scored 100 goals in his record. Gretzky scored the final goal on March 29, 1999.
GRETZKY: Final NHL Goals | The ultimate NHL game
Most goals in NHL history
| PLAYER | TEAM | GOAL |
|---|---|---|
| Wayne Gretzky | EDM, LAK, STL, NYR | 894 |
| Gordie Howe | DET, HFD | 801 |
| Jaromir Jagra | PIT, WSH, NYR, PHI, DAL, BOS, NJD, FLA, CGY | 766 |
| Alex Ovechkin | WSH | 742 |
| Brett Hull | CGY, STL, DAL, DET, PHX | 741 |
Most goals in a NHL season
| PLAYER | TEAM | SEASON | GOAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne Gretzky | Edmonton Oilers | 1981-82 | 92 |
| Wayne Gretzky | Edmonton Oilers | 1983-84 | eighty seven |
| Brett Hull | St. Louis Blues | 1990-91 | eighty six |
| Mario Lemieux | Pittsburgh Penguins | 1988-89 | 85 |
| Phil Esposito | Boston Bruins | 1970-71 | 76 |
| Alexander Mogilny | Buffalo Sabers | 1992-93 | 76 |
| Teemu Selanne | Winnipeg Jets | 1992-93 | 76 |
Will Alex Ovechkin catch Wayne Gretzky?
Sporting News will tell you – in the words of great coach Ted Lasso, “Believe.”
Entering this season, Ovechkin is 164 goals behind Gretzky. While he’s off to a terrifying start, it’s unlikely he’ll continue to find the back of the net once per game. A reasonably high result might be 50 goals per season – a number he has scored or eclipsed eight times in his career. He also scored 46 in 2006-07, 49 in 2017-18 and 48 in the COVID-19 shortened 2019-20 season.
Fifty goals in a season spanning 82 games at a rate of 0.61 goals per game. If he plays every game in the future – at least it’s unlikely – he’ll need 249 games (as of Nov. 14) to catch up with Gretzky. That will be around time during the 2024-25 season.
Of course, if he continues to score at breakneck speed, he could get there sooner. Ovechkin’s career high for goals per game was 0.79, a number he set in 2008-09. In the past 5 seasons (2016-17 to 2021), he scored 205 goals in 358 games, a performance of 0.57 goals/game. Not a bad clip even though he is at the end of his career.
Even if the Capitals captain scores 50 goals per season (including 2021-22), he won’t hit the mark until 2024-25 at the earliest.
How many goals does Alex Ovechkin have?
On 12 November, Ovechkin scored 742 to overtake Hall of Famer Brett Hull to place fourth on the all-time scoring list.
Alex Ovechkin’s career stats
Ovechkin’s star power was evident from day 1. After winning the Calder Trophy his rookie year with 106 points (52 goals, 54 assists) in 81 games, he has won the Rocket Richard Trophy 9 times. This trophy only appeared from the 1998-99 season and was awarded to the NHL’s top scorer.
He is the only player to have won it at least three times and therefore, obviously, holds the record with nine. Oh, and he nearly won it in his rookie year before losing by four goals to Sharks’ Jonathan Cheehoo. He was also a short goalie in 2009-10.
And a quick reminder: Ovechkin not only faces a 56-game COVID-19 shortened 2021 season, but also a 48-match shortened season in 2012-13. Imagine where he would be now if those seasons were full of 82 games.
OVECHKIN: Top 7 career goals
| SEASON | GP | GOAL | G / GP | SUPPORT | POINT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-06 | 81 | 52 | 0.64 | 54 | 106 |
| 2006-07 | 82 | forty six | 0.56 | forty six | 92 |
| 2007-08 * | 82 | 65 | 0.79 | 47 | 112 |
| 2008-09 * | 79 | 56 | 0.71 | 54 | 110 |
| 2009-10 | 72 | 50 | 0.69 | 59 | 109 |
| 2010-11 | 79 | 32 | 0.41 | 53 | 85 |
| 2011-12 | 78 | 38 | 0.49 | 27 | 65 |
| 2012-13 * | 48 | 32 | 0.67 | 24 | 56 |
| 2013-14 * | 78 | 51 | 0.65 | 28 | 79 |
| 2014-15 * | 81 | 53 | 0.65 | 28 | 81 |
| 2015-16 * | 79 | 50 | 0.63 | 21 | 71 |
| 2016-17 | 82 | 33 | 0.40 | 36 | 69 |
| 2017-18 * | 82 | 49 | 0.60 | 38 | eighty seven |
| 2018-19 * | 81 | 51 | 0.63 | 38 | 89 |
| 2019-20 * ^ | 68 | 48 | 0.71 | 19 | sixty seven |
| Year 2021 | 45 | 24 | 0.53 | 18 | 42 |
| 2021-22 | 15 | twelfth | 0.80 | 14 | 26 |
* Win the Rocket Richard Trophy
^ Co-winner with David Pastrnak
