After Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky's goal-scoring record with No. 895 against the New York Islanders on Sunday, players across the league reacted to what was a historic day in the NHL.
Among those was Nashville Predators forward Steven Stamkos, who scored the only goal for Nashville in the 2-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens at Bridgestone Arena.
"No one thought that record was ever going to be touched," Stamkos said. "I think (Ovechkin) even said that."
Stamkos is in a unique position to remark upon Ovechkin's accomplishments — he ranks third among active goal scorers with 580 goals, behind only Ovechkin and Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby.
"When I came into the league, (Ovechkin) was just getting going. He's a guy you look up to and marvel at the longevity," Stamkos said. "He's been a horse his entire career, he doesn't miss many games. Scores a ton of goals. He's lived up to the billing."
Ovechkin was drafted by the Capitals at No. 1 overall in 2004, four years before Stamkos was taken No. 1 overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Crosby was drafted No. 1 overall by Pittsburgh in 2005.
Ovechkin and Crosby have played their entire careers with the team that drafted them, but Stamkos left Tampa last summer to sign a four-year deal with Nashville. In 77 games with the Predators, Stamkos has 25 goals and 22 assists while skating 17:58 minutes per game.
"(Ovechkin) and (Crosby) have been the faces of the league since I came in. And they're still going," he said. "It's been a joy to play against (Ovechkin). I've had some great games against him over my career and I've watched a lot of those goals."
The Predators' loss to the Canadiens was their sixth straight, but it puts them closer to clinching the third-best odds at obtaining the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 draft. According to Money Puck, Nashville has an 11.5% chance at winning the top pick in the NHL's draft lottery.
Alex Daugherty is the
Topics in this Story
