Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin is already one of the most famous players in the world NHL Story. The legendary striker already has a lot of records to his name NHL history books, but there is one more that could put him in the pantheon of all-time greats.
Ovechkin is on the verge of becoming that NHL's He is the all-time leading scorer and can surpass Wayne Gretzky's mark of 894 in the 2024-25 regular season. The Capitals star currently has 873 career goals, so he needs to score 22 more goals this season to surpass Gretzky's record.
The 2023-24 season proved fatal for Ovechkin as he scored 31 goals last season, his lowest point total in a full season since he scored 32 goals in the 2012-13 season. Although Ovechkin only scored 24 goals in the 2020-21 season, that season was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ovechkin scored 42 goals in the 2022-23 season and has scored at least 41 goals in 13 of his 19 seasons NHL Seasons.
Ovechkin currently has 1,582 points (873 goals, 709 assists) in his professional career. He made even more history in 2023/24 when he registered one NHL Season record 18 goals with 30 goals, overtaking Mike Gartner's 17 goals.
Ovechkin recently returned to the ice after missing over a month with a leg injury. Since his return, Ovechkin has scored five goals in five games, including a goal in Washington's 4-1 win over the Nashville Predators on Jan. 11.
At the rate this season is going, Ovechkin, if healthy, would surpass “The Great One” before the end of the regular season. He has already scored 20 goals this season despite missing a month due to injury.
Ovechkin will likely continue to be an established force on the Capitals' top power play unit, so scoring opportunities should be plentiful. He's obviously off to a much better start than he was a year ago when he only scored five goals in the first two months of the season.
CBS Sports will keep an eye on Ovechkin's goals throughout the season and keep an eye on how close he is to surpassing Gretzky's record.
