Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin continues to stay on pace to pass Wayne Gretzky's NHL career goal record before season's end.
Ovechkin, 39, entered this season needing 42 goals to break Gretzky's record of 894 career goals, which has stood since 1999. The Washington captain, who scored his 892nd goal on Wednesday, has 39 goals this season and needs three more with seven games left to become the NHL's all-time leader.
Ovechkin scored 15 times in his first 18 games before suffering a fractured left fibula during a Nov. 18 game against the Utah Hockey Club. He has scored 24 times in 41 games since he returned on Dec. 28.
This season, he passed Gordie Howe for most goals scored after 30, moved into second place with 20 consecutive 20-goal seasons and set a record for number of goalies scored against in his career. He tied records for game-winning goals and most franchises against which he has a hat trick. And he became the first player to score 200 goals in three different decades.
If he doesn't reach Gretzky's goal record this season, he has one more season left on
Topics in this Story
