Ovechkin’s slow start to the season is starting to impact how realistic it is that he catches Wayne Gretzky’s all time goal scoring record of 894. Ovi only has 5 goals so far this season and is struggling by all accounts.
But is his play indicative of the future or is this just an unlucky stretch? I walk through the underlying metrics to see what’s really going on!
#ovechkin #washingtoncapitals #gretzkyrecord
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24 Comments
He will still break it
He will definitely break it
With all the lockouts and then the pandemic stuff he missed an extra like 2 or 3 seasons that coulda already broke it.
People keep asking this and the answer is obvious. He’s not going to break it because he’s too old and out of shape. It’s his fault for not conditioning in the off season. If you disagree please watch a full caps game and watch him skate for 30 seconds and go for the change or watch him stand-skate causing our players to struggle to breakout or play defense. It’s painful. If I was the coach I’d healthy scratch him until he’s ready to play
Maybe he’s upset about Putin’s performance in Ukraine that he can’t concentrate
i think besides the other factors like fitness and age, he is playing with different players. Niklas Backstrom played a major role in the success of Ovi
If he doesn't score in his next game, his gpg average will drop below Gretzky's. He needs to score 67 goals in 112 games to tie Gretzky in the same amount of games, and if he needs more games to break the record, that would be lame. If he doesn't improve his gpg, he wont break the record even if he plays out the remainder of his contract, which has 2 more years after this one. At his current pace he will end up with 868 goals and a one year extension would still leave him short.
Having on bad year on a team that offensively struggles right now hes definitely going to beat that record
Still getting great opportunities no puck luck whatsoever right now this season
nothing's wrong other than he's aging & massive middle age spread! aint enough velcro in washington gonna make that girdle work? game legend, please retire gracefully!!
He is definitely missing Backstrom
There's a huge difference between how Gretzky reached these records, and how Ovy has. One was the ultimate team player who saw the ice like no other, the other is pretty much a one trick pony. He's not going to catch Wayne, as it should be.
trade him to Detroit
What wrong he's not a young buck anymore..
Will Ovi have the class to simply recognize the reality and skate away into the sunset despite being 40 or 50 goals short ?
Being number 2 isn't really a bad thing
Has absolutely nothing to do with Backstrom. Ovechkin's game is built on physicality; hard shots, explosive skating, and hitting. All three are highly susceptible to aging and Ovechkin is showing his age finally.
Just goes to show how underrated Backstrom really is. Ovie needs younger, better talent around him because Wilson, Strome, and Kuznetsov aren't going to dish out the puck as good as Backstrom did. Regardless, he will pass Gretzky eventually and I don't think it'll damage his reputation of being the best goal scorer ever.
Ovechkin wants that record to stay in Canada…on purpose. It's his debt of gratitude to the NHL which originated in Canada. Gretzky being Canadian means Ovechkin won't try to upstage what he feels is rightfully Canada's game.
Putin it right here – no record for you!
He's still a legend. But secretly I dont want Gretzky's record broken lol
Good. He doesn’t deserve the record. He’s one of the greatest shots we’ve ever seen, but his style of playing hockey is extremely selfish when it is a team sport. Gretzky did everything. Ovechkin just lazes around the ice waiting for everyone to do the hard work and then pass him the puck for a shot.
he is just going through a bad funk, once mark messier went 18 games with out a goal. after this contract he wil sign year to year until he breaks it. gordie was not present when he broke his record on march 23rd 1994, gretzky is all class, he will show up when the record is broken. ovie missed his draft year 2004-2005, a oick in 2012-2013, covid in 2020 and a third of a season the next year. he is determined to break it and he will. he plays the full 2 minutes on the power play, the one time has not slowed that much.
Ovechkin is Russian. He doesn't care about the NHL, or the Stanley Cup.
Russian hockey = World championships and Olympics
That the media here decided to lift him up on their pedestal for being the namebrand star of a TEAM that won a Stanley Cup is their mistake, not his.