Alex Ovechkin has broken two NHL records in a single month, overtaking ice hockey greats Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe. Ovechkin surpassed Gretzky’s record for most NHL Road Goals as he scored two goals in the Washington Capitals 5-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on November 30. This gave him a total of 403 goals on the road. After the game, Ovechkin spoke of his pride in beating a record achieved by The Great One.
Earlier in the month, the Russian had achieved the milestone of the most goals for a single NHL team, a record which had stood for 51 years. The 37-year-old left winger’s record-breaking 787th goal came as the Caps were beaten 3-2 by the Arizona Coyotes at Capital One Arena on November 5.
Breaking a 51-year-old record
The goal saw Ovechkin overtake the previous record set by Canadian right winger Gordie Howe, which had been in place since 1971. During his 25 years at the Detroit Red Wings, Howe scored 786 goals in 1,687 games, but Ovechkin beat the total in just 1,287 games.
Gordie Howe’s son Mark was present as Ovi beat his father’s record, but he was praised for Ovechkin’s commitment: “It’s obvious that he loves what he’s doing. Sometimes money, people get satisfied. He’s not satisfied. You can tell he’s driven. He wants to win.”
However, despite Ovechkin’s best efforts, the Caps have struggled to find form this season. This is reflected in the betting odds. They are outsiders to win the Stanley Cup at odds of +7000, and to win the Eastern Conference; they are rated as a +3500 chance. But ice hockey fans can feel all the excitement with the best NHL odds by picking the winner of the 2023 Stanley Cup with Colorado Avalanche, the favorites at +450, followed by the Boston Bruins as second favorites at +500. The Bruins are also favorites to emerge victorious in the Eastern Conference this season at +350.
Last season, the Washington Capitals finished second to the Boston Bruins in the Wild Card standings last season.
Chasing Records
Even with the Washington Capitals struggling, Ovechkin still has the opportunity to shatter further records this season. The most achievable is second place in the NHL total career goals table, and he already has Howe in his sights. Wayne Gretzky is at the top of the list with 894 goals, but with his compatriot Howe on 801 goals, Ovechkin could soon take the second spot in the all-time list.
The Moscow-born left winger already has several records to his name, including the most career goals for his position, ahead of Luc Robitaille and Brendan Shanahan, and the most career power-play goals.
“The Great Eight” made his debut for the Washington Capitals in 2005 after gaining a big reputation at Dynamo Moscow. He was signed in the first overall draft by the Caps in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, but the NHL lockout stalled his career. He made an immediate impression on his NHL debut when he scored two goals in a 3-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. In 2008, he signed a 13-year extension to his contract with the Capitals. As Ovechkin took stock of his NHL career in Washington after tying with Howe, he called it a pretty cool accomplishment to compete with a hockey legend.
With Ovechkin looking likely to move into second place in the career goals list, who would bet against him overtaking Gretzky as the highest NHL goalscorer of all time? His commitment gives him a fighting chance of achieving the ultimate accolade if he can continue to perform at the highest level for another couple of seasons.
