Alex Ovechkin says he should have already beaten Gretzky's record by now

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Cooper Godin
July 25, 2024 (4:02 PM)

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Washington Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin says he should have already beaten Wayne Gretzky's goal scoring record by now.

In a recent interview on a Russian podcast called 'Podcasts with Amiran Sadarov', Ovechkin discussed how close he is to becoming the National Hockey League's all-time leading goal scorer and believes he should already be atop that list.

For reasons outside of his control, including the full-season lockout in 2004-05, half-season lockout in 2012-13 and the 2019-20 regular season ending early due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ovechkin has missed a total of 155 games. If there were no lockouts or pandemic, the Moscow native would have already become the NHL's all-time goal scoring leader.

Note: the quotes in this story are translated from Russian.

"If there had been no lockout and no pandemic, I think Gretzky's record would have been broken by now," Ovechkin told Sardarov. "But, unfortunately, such moments happen."

Heading into the 2024-25 campaign, Alexander Ovechkin sits 42 goals back of passing Wayne Gretzky's record and if he's able to avoid having a slow start like he did last year, there's a very good chance he could surpass 'The Great One' in the latter stages of next season.

Along with being so close to beating Wayne Gretzky's record, Ovechkin has his sights on hoisting the Stanley Cup again before his career is over. While Washington may not be the favourites next season, they certainly made some big additions this off-season to put themselves in the mix and are hoping for a deep playoff run in the spring.

"I want to win the Stanley Cup again," Ovechkin said. "Words cannot describe the emotions and pleasure that we, our friends, family, and fans received."

It's going to be exciting to watch Alexander Ovechkin next season and see what he's able to do offensively for the Capitals. While his age may be catching up to him, there's no doubt that before his career is over, he'll be the NHL's all-time leading goal scorer.

Source: Russian Machine Never Breaks
Alex Ovechkin says he would have already broken Wayne Gretzky's goal-scoring record without lockouts and the pandemic: �But, unfortunately, such moments happen'