“If I Was a Betting Man…”: Gordie Howe’s Son and Hockey Hall of Famer Speaks Out After Alexander Ovechkin Breaks His Father’s Goal Record

The Russian scoring machine, Alexander Ovechkin, is steadily inching closer to rewriting NHL history. Ovechkin has successfully cemented himself in the all-time goal list but currently holds the second spot. Recently, he overtook Gordie Howe by scoring his 802nd goal in a match against the Winnipeg Jets. Gordie’s son, Max Howe, who watched Ovechnkin break his father’s record, cheered for the Great Eight’s future.

There is no bitter feeling from the Howe family on seeing Gordie’s record being broken. Instead, they have been rooting for Ovechkin to take over. Now that the second position is out of the way, all eyes are on the Great Eight waiting for him to surpass The Great One. Howe recently recalled a conversation he had with Ovechkin wherein he entrusted him to break Gretzky’s record.

Max Howe congratulates Alex Ovechkin

Everyone was looking forward to Ovechkin finally taking over Howe in the match scheduled on 23rd December 2022. Soon after the historic moment arrived, a video by Max Howe was played in the arena. On behalf of the Howe family, the legendary hockey player congratulated Ovechkin on achieving the feat.

Howe added that Ovechkin is currently the player who brings the wow factor to ice. Reminding Ovechkin of his next target, Howe said, “Now it’s time to set new goals for No. 99.” Saying this, he pointed towards Wayne Gretzky‘s record as No. 99 indicated Gretzky’s jersey number.

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

Earlier in an interview, Howe recalled a conversation he had with Ovechkin in Philadelphia. “I said, ‘I’m counting on you to do it’. If I was a betting man, I would bet he’s going to catch Wayne,” said the Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman.

What the veterans have to say about the Russian player

Max Howe isn’t the only one who has high expectations from Ovechkin. Robitaille thinks Ovechkin taking over Wayne Gretzky would be “the greatest thing that could happen for the game.” He further added that Ovechkin has done a great job in getting the fans hooked to the game.

Earlier this month, Capital’s defenseman John Carlson commented that a few years ago nobody paid attention to Ovechkin approaching the feat. However, now it’s the most talked about thing in the NHL world. “Seven or eight years ago nobody even talked about it, even though he was clearly on the same trajectory he is now. Then it went from, ‘Maybe he can,’ to ‘Holy crap! This is coming,” he said.

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While Max Howe, John Carlson, and the others root for Alexander Ovechkin to take over Wayne Gretzky, let’s see how long it would take for him to achieve the greatest feat in NHL history, in a long time.