If you are a Washington Capitals fan, then you might be having the time of your life. Dedicating your time to a sports team is an experience in itself, and the way the Caps are performing this year is just amazing for their fans, especially Alexander Ovechkin, who is on the verge of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal record in the NHL.

After his team’s match against the Florida Panthers on February 6, 2025, Ovechkin is now just 17 goals away from making history in the league. Indeed, the Caps won the game in a dominating victory, as the scoreboard read 6-3, and it was a feast for the crowd at Capital One Arena, who came to not only watch the home team win but also their captain secure a goal. However, when exactly will the Russian NHL star achieve one of the feats that once seemed impossible?

A hot take on his future on the rink

Who doesn’t love some trickery from Alexander Ovechkin? He’s just fascinating on the ice and his goals? What does Gen Z call them? They are just absolute cinema! Ovie has spent his whole career with the Washington Capitals, even leading the team to the Stanley Cup in 2018, defeating the Vegas Golden Knights, 4-1 in the series. However, his desire to achieve more success with the team has never faded away.

The fire is still burning even in 2025, and the Caps are doing really well in the current season. In the Metropolitan Division, they are in first place with 53 games played, winning 35 of them and losing 11, including 7 overtime losses. Clearly not bad for a team that’s chasing another Stanley Cup under the captaincy of the Russian ice hockey icon.

But what about Ovechkin? Can he really make it to Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal record? At least considering this season? Obviously, only time will tell his fate, but all we can do is predict. The Caps still have 29 regular season games before the Stanley Cup playoffs. And even if the playoff games’ goals will be considered in the tally, the captain will want to get over it in these 29 games.

Ovechkin has played 37 games this season, out of which he has secured 25 goals, 14 assists, and 39 points. Not bad for someone who is 39 years old and still impresses the crowd every time he steps on the rink. These 25 goals also made him stand right behind Gordie Howe’s 20-season, 25-goal record. Another historic chase for the next season? Totally!

However, his aim is completely locked on Gretzky’s record for the current season. With the NHL heading towards the 4 Nation face-off, and since Ovechkin isn’t part of any team, he will have a lot of time to rest before he gets back on the rink on February 22, against the Pittsburgh Penguins. However, the Caps still have a game before this break with the Utah Hockey Club this Sunday, February 9. Any chances of Ovechkin scoring? Maybe only time will tell.

Statistically, there’s almost zero hope that Ovie will achieve this record in the current month. But as he is 17 goals away from Gretzky, late March or early April might seem like a favorable time to break this record. And the fans will love it if he does it at Capital One Arena, as it is the home rink of the Caps. However, the community scrutinized the captain’s recent goal against the Panthers due to its specific scoring method.

Alexander Ovechkin getting into controversy for chasing the record

The social media people always tend to find a way of criticizing, and this time Alexander Ovechkin got caught up in these flames after his career 878th goal against the Florida Panthers. He scored this goal during the final seconds of the third period, and the Panthers decided to keep an empty net to maximize their attack. However, in the process, they forgot the sniping skills of Ovie, and he scored brilliantly from an impressive distance.

As it was an empty net goal, he faced a few allegations, such as “Empty net merchant who never cared about winning. Only cared about his own stats and trophies.” Ouch, now that’s harsh on somebody who has so much loyalty to a team that drafted him 21 years ago. However, he also got people who defended him, like Tom Gulitti, who shared a certain statistic, stating, “Yes, 6 of Alex Ovechkin’s 25 goals are empty-net goals. Just like 7 of Mikko Rantanen’s 26 goals are empty-net goals. Also, 6 of Kirill Kaprizov’s 23 goals are empty-netters. And 5 of Adrian Kempe’s 24 goals are empty-netters.”

“Ovechkin holds the NHL record with 63 empty-net goals. He broke Wayne Gretzky’s record of 56 empty-net goals last season,” said the NHL journalist, continuing his statement. Indeed, even Gretzky had his share of empty-net goals, but the absence of social media at the time prevented anyone from criticizing him. It really doesn’t matter if it’s an empty netter or not, as a goal is a goal, and Ovechkin is just a few more away from the glory that he had anticipated since the beginning of his ice hockey career.