“Don’t Think It’s Possible”: Alexander Ovechkin Makes a Surprising Revelation on Chasing Wayne Gretzky’s Record Ahead of the NHL All-Star Weekend

Alexander Ovechkin has secured his name on the list of legends in ice hockey. The star winger is now among the top two players having the maximum number of NHL goals. However, this has somewhat led to increased expectations and decreased appreciation for the left winger. Since now the Russian star is just 83 goals away from surpassing all-time great Wayne Gretzky, the question of whether he could do that is following him everywhere. However, for the Capitals winger, scoring 83 goals is not an easy target. 

The Russian star player has shown exceptional consistency during his career, which has risen him to stardom. However, Ovechkin had a different opinion when it came to the question of becoming the biggest NHL player. 

Alexander Ovechkin has other priorities than breaking records

Ovechkin recently admitted that he never thought of reaching this mark at the beginning of his career. For him, the aim was to “play well, get the team to playoffs and try to score a few goals”. Little did the star winger know what was coming for him. 

While there were questions of ‘When’ the players can overtake the Great One, he wasn’t sure ‘whether’ he can deliver that or not. Even now, the Russian star thinks that the feat is impossible to achieve. “I still don’t think it’s possible”, he said in the interview. For the superstar player, the priority wasn’t to break the record, but to stay at the top of his game. “I think you have to be healthy first thing. Second, you have to be in shape.”, he told WSH Hockey Now. 

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The Washington Capitals star player was eyeing one game at a time and wasn’t thinking about the end result. ‘I am just going game by game and day by day”. However, this wasn’t the first time he has given clarification on how he wants his career to proceed. 

Ovechkin’s intent to play is different

The captain of the Washington Capitals has revealed many times that he looks at the bigger picture. The man wants to contribute more towards the team rather than just playing for records. In December, the left winger made it clear that he had certain conditions before signing the contract with the Capitals. 

Ovechkin made it pretty clear that he shouldn’t be limited to a mere third line who comes and gets his goals in a few minutes. “I am not going to be a third-line guy playing 8-10 minutes a game.” The guy has clearly stated his intent to play the game and contribute to the team’s overall growth. 

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However, the star player is going through a dry patch in his past five games with just 2 goals. It would be crucial to see how the left winger would bounce back.