How Does Alexander Ovechkin Compare to Wayne Gretzky As He Nears ‘The Great One’s’ NHL Goal Record?

With every passing game, Alexander Ovechkin is getting closer and closer to breaking the Great One’s record. All eyes are on Ovechkin as the Russian player chases the feat. This year, Ovechkin managed to surpass Gordie Howe and take the second spot on the list of maximum goals in NHL history.

Wayne Gretzky and Alexander Ovechkin have been the star players of their respective times. While the two players never went head-to-head against each other in a match, their stats sure did. By the time Ovechkin had joined the pro league, Gretzky had already retired from the game. While Ovechkin chases Gretzky’s record, let’s have a look at the career of the two legends.

Career stats of Wayne Gretzky and Alexander Ovechkin

In the 1487 games that Gretzky played throughout his career, he scored 894 goals in total. 91 of these goals were what brought victory to his team. Whereas, Ovechkin took 1310 matches to score 802 goals and is still counting. He has scored 124 game-winning goals. The Great One has a total of 1963 assists to his name while the Great Eight has 649.

Gretzky gave an average of 1.92 points per game, scoring a total of 2857 points altogether. Ovechkin, on the other hand, stands at 1451 points with an average of 1.11 points per game. The success rate of Gretzky’s shots was 17.6% whereas that of Ovechkin is 12.9%.

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Throughout his elaborate career, Gretzky received 577 penalty minutes. Ovie, on the other hand, has already had 765 penalty minutes. Wayne Gretzky played in the center position, whereas Ovechkin is a left winger. The only similarity in their career is that both of them have served as the captain of their respective teams.

Records that tied the two legends

The all-time career goal isn’t the only record of Gretzky that Ovechkin has been chasing. Ovechkin holds two records that he has tied with Gretzky. Ovechkin ties with Gretzky for the “most career 40-goal season” at 12.

He also tied with Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy for the “most career 50-goal season”. The record is set at 9. Gretzky holds a total of 61 NHL records. Alexander Ovechkin currently has 24 NHL records to his name.

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As Alexander Ovechkin chases the feat, are you looking forward to seeing him break the record Gretzky has held for over three decades?