The Great One has been an inspiration for many kids picking up a stick. Indeed, many NHL stars of today would have Wayne Gretzky as their idol and the reason they want to put on the skates. Wouldn’t they love to glide on the ice like the Canadian magician! The things Gretzky has achieved are mythical. And yet, when the NHL keeps giving us icons like Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, it feels like we are truly being spoiled by the hockey Gods.

Ovechkin and Crosby, both of them Stanley Cup winners and both of them icons for their teams, are the ones who will again spearhead their teams for a place in the Stanley Cup Playoffs when the 2025-26 season resumes. But they will have their mini personal goals, hoping to climb the ladder that takes them to a summit where Wayne Gretzky sits. Well, that really doesn’t narrow it down, does it? Because the 4-time Stanley Cup Champion holds so many records, you can’t even keep track. So, which one ties all three of them together? Let’s see!

The 2025-26 season still has some time to start, but the NHL Public Relations thought they should show us a list that only consists of legends, the best of the NHL ever. Shared via X on July 12, it’s a list of players with the most career points, at the top of which is ‘The Great One,’ Wayne Gretzky. No surprise there. But it’s the caption that sets up an interesting pursuit. The caption of the post read, “Looking Ahead to 2025-26 It could be another milestone year for Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. Both players are on the path to 1,700 points while tracking down legends on the all-time list.”

Indeed, it’s a chase—only there are 3 legends in question. There’s Gretzky at the top with 2857 points, which he has achieved in 1487 games over 21 seasons. In 9th place is fellow Canadian Sidney Crosby. The Penguins Center is the only active player in the top 10 now. But there is still work to do if the goal is Gretzky. At 1687 points, he has more than 1000 points to cover. And the Canadian is 37 years old.

Sure, he will probably score enough to get up to the 5th spot in the list, but Gretzky is unreachable in 2026. And the same goes for Alex Ovechkin. He is 11th in the list, with 1623 points. And he is 39. The Russian obviously will go hard as usual, with the key objective being helping the Capitals rise again and win the Stanley Cup. And although the Gretzky summit looks daunting, it will be in their minds. Because that’s how great players become timeless.

Ovechkin got 79 points last season, while Sidney Crosby scored 91. They both averaged more than a point per game, but if the target is 2857, the pace has to increase, doesn’t it? Well, Crosby himself has said records mean nothing if the team doesn’t win, and for Ovechkin, he would love nothing more than to add to his 2018 Stanley Cup.

But rest assured, they still have some way to go before hanging up their skates. And where they are when the curtains are drawn will be the benchmark for future generations. Like Gretzky has been for them. And although the legendary Oilers captain remains the Goat of records, Crosby and Ovechkin have managed to surpass the legend in 2025 on 2 occasions.

Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin will have taken a record off the Great One in 2025

When can we see a player who will get 10 Art Ross trophies in his career? We can’t say. Being the highest point scorer in 10 seasons in a career is unreal. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are among the top players we have right now, but even 10 Art Ross trophies is unthinkable. We are talking about 10 because Wayne Gretzky has 9. Gretzky also has the most assists in a season—163.

His career assist total is 1,963. The closest is Ron Francis with 1249. Among the active ones, Sidney Crosby is the closest with 1062. The Great One is so untouchable when it comes to personal records that you start seeing him as a Messiah to the sport. But then, when Alex Ovechkin overtook Gretzky’s regular season goal tally of 894 in April 2025, you think the Canadian is not the only hero of the story.

The Great 8 himself is 897 and counting. Maybe he will be the first NHL player to cross 1000 regular-season goals. But Ovechkin has a partner in Sidney Crosby. The 37-year-old overtook Gretzky in having the most seasons in the NHL, averaging more than 1 point per game. Wayne Gretzky had 19 such seasons, but in March 2025, Crosby registered his 20th season of averaging at least a point per game.

Some records do get scaled, but the journey itself tells a lot about both who set the bar and the one who rises up to the challenge.