Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin is about to become one of the most successful players in the world Story. The legendary forward already has plenty of records in the NHL history books, but there's one more record that could propel him into the pantheon of all-time greats.
With the 2024-25 season now underway, Ovechkin is on the verge of becoming the NHL's all-time leading scorer. Ovechkin can surpass Wayne Gretzky's mark (894) in the 2024-25 regular season. The Capitals star currently has 861 career goals, so he would only need to score 34 more goals this season to surpass Gretzky's league record.
The 2023-24 season proved fatal for Ovechkin, who scored 31 goals last season. Ovechkin's 31 goals were his lowest total 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 NHL seasons.
Ovechkin currently has 1,566 points (861 goals, 705 assists) in his professional career. He made even more history in the 2023-24 season when he scored an NHL-record 30 goals in his 18th season, passing Mike Gartner (17).
Ovechkin scored his eighth goal of the season on November 6 in a 3-2 win against the Nashville Predators. That helped Ovechkin maintain the pace he needed to catch Gretzky by the end of the regular season. Currently, Ovechkin is on pace to 55 goals, which would be enough to surpass “The Great One.”
Ovechkin will likely continue to be an established force on the Capitals' top power play unit, so scoring opportunities will be plentiful. He will be looking to get off to a better start than in 2023/24, 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 2024-25 season and keep an eye on how close he is to surpassing Gretzky's record.
