Will Ovechkin beat Gretzky in all-time goals?

[BallardEra]

"If he can sustain his pace, there's no question in my mind that he has the ability and the talent and the work ethic to be able to do it. And if he does it, I'll be the first guy there to shake his hand. If there is one guy out there that can do it, there's no question it's him," Wayne Gretzky told NHL.com in 2016.

It won't be easy. "The first 500 are the easy ones," Gretzky said. "It's the next 500, when you're getting a little bit older and your body is a little bit worn down -- the travel and physical part of the game catches up to you."

Can Alex Ovechkin top Wayne Gretzky's NHL record of 894 goals?

 

[ricky0034]

just out of curiosity has he ever expressed any interest in going to the KHL for a couple years in the twilight of his career? I know Datsyuk used to talk about it for example

anyways if he can sticks around till he's around 40 and can stay healthy he can probably do it,far from a sure thing to stay healthy for another 7 years but even having a realistic shot at being tops in raw total is pretty crazy considering era scoring differences

 

[TGWL]

Ovi is a very humbled player. He was score 1 less goal then retire.

 

[Troubadour]

If he bothers to and wants to, he will. At the moment, Ovi looks like a lock for at least fifty this season. Let's say he sits at 660 by the start of next season. He will be only 34. Is he capable of scoring at least forty a year till he turns forty himself? Looks like it.

Imagine him playing into his early 40s, which is definitely possible. I say not only he beats Gretzky. He will touch 1000.

 

[robertmac43]

Imagine him playing into his early 40s, which is definitely possible. I say not only he beats Gretzky. He will touch 1000.

I really hope he does! That would be such a fun story to watch over the next couple of years.

 

[Troubadour]

I really hope he does! That would be such a fun story to watch over the next couple of years.

Definitely. And great motivation for the younger players to see that not every individual record is untouchable.

 

[gtrower]

Yeah, because there is guaranteed going to be no slow down in his career. Even greats like Lemieux and Gretzky slowed down with age/injuries, what makes Ovechkin immune to age?

I don’t know, but so far he is

Everybody was anticipating a decline, but the machine appears to be getting stronger.

 

[Troubadour]

I don’t know, but so far he is

I don't think he's immune to age. I think he finally started taking care of himself, having realized he's getting older. Which is why he often looks better, faster and more youthful than in his late twenties.

 

[izzy]

Imagine him playing into his early 40s, which is definitely possible. I say not only he beats Gretzky. He will touch 1000.

idk about him scoring 40 goals in his early 40s, thats a bit much

900 i can see, but id say less than 5% chance he could reach 1000

without the lockouts, possibly

 

[Andon]

Just be "glad" that Gretzky had a fast and early drop-off and didn't age like Selänne. Those career numbers would be even more ridiculous and even the total goals record would be literally impossible (and not just the points, assists and single season records). At least he left the coming generations with something to dream about.

 

[CupsOverCash]

Didnt he just recently get half way there?? He would need to beast through the rest of his 30s. Hope he does though. Would be amazing!

 

[Troubadour]

idk about him scoring 40 goals in his early 40s, thats a bit much

900 i can see, but id say less than 5% chance he could reach 1000

without the lockouts, possibly

I mentioned scoring forty a year for the rest of his thirties and playing into his forties (whatever number of goals he gets there). I thought he would be getting thirty-forty a year by now, so has definitely exceeded my expectations already.

And does he look like dropping below forty a year any time soon? Not by a long shot.

 

[Sam Spade]

Didnt he just recently get half way there?? He would need to beast through the rest of his 30s. Hope he does though. Would be amazing!

894 - 629 = 265

 

[CupsOverCash]

894 - 629 = 265

I didnt see the stats, thought somebody said he was half way there.

 

[kmart]

Ovi is a very humbled player. He was score 1 less goal then retire.

or play one game in a new season to beat the record and retire... flies back to russia right after the game.

 

[CupsOverCash]

265 is doable if he doesnt slow down

 

[Troubadour]

Didnt he just recently get half way there?? He would need to beast through the rest of his 30s. Hope he does though. Would be amazing!

Gretzky retired with 894. Ovi now has 629. He's only 33. If he scores 50 this year and keeps scoring at least forty a season for the remainder of his thirties, he will catch up with Gretzky by the time he's 39.

Just a trivia: Jagr, who is by no means as prolific a goalscorer as Ovi, netted 145 goals after his return to the NHL at 39 (almost forty). If Ovi keeps playing into his early forties, it's pretty likely he gets to 1000.

 

[Sam Spade]

Ovi is a very humbled player. He was score 1 less goal then retire.

I still want to know if Gretzky sent him the game used stick he promised.

 

[Bonzo111]

will be very tough but not impossible. The thing about 99 is he was putting up ridiculous assists along with his goals and really preferred passing as he got older.

 

[Rebels57]

I think he will do it actually.

 

[Thenameless]

If he bothers to and wants to, he will. At the moment, Ovi looks like a lock for at least fifty this season. Let's say he sits at 660 by the start of next season. He will be only 34. Is he capable of scoring at least forty a year till he turns forty himself? Looks like it.

Imagine him playing into his early 40s, which is definitely possible. I say not only he beats Gretzky. He will touch 1000.

I'm cheering for Ovechkin, but you have to remember that most players hit a wall somewhere in their 30's. He might look good for 50 or even maybe even 60 this season, but that doesn't easily translate into scoring 40 a year until you're 40. We need to remember that even in his prime, he had seasons of 32 and 38 goals, and these types of seasons are more likely to happen in the upcoming years. Still, it would be something to see him surpass Gretzky in this era.

 

[Troubadour]

I'm cheering for Ovechkin, but you have to remember that most players hit a wall somewhere in their 30's. He might look good for 50 or even maybe even 60 this season, but that doesn't easily translate into scoring 40 a year until you're 40. We need to remember that even in his prime, he had seasons of 32 and 38 goals, and these types of seasons are more likely to happen in the upcoming years. Still, it would be something to see him surpass Gretzky in this era.

Yes, but elite players tend to hit the wall a bit later than the others. Unless his goalscoring takes a dive... Let's say he hangs in there and makes it a gradual decline, I can totally see him scoring forty a year on average for the rest of his thirties (not saying it will be a piece of cake though).

56 this season (I believe this year will be an aberration)
48 next year
44 at 35
40 at 36
38 at 37
35 at 38
32 at 39

Seems doable, depending on his health and his drive. Again, I never thought he would be so good this long, so he could get there even sooner.

EDIT: Don't forget the Caps will hand him a lot of ice time and support. He dragged them out of their misery and they will definitely want him to retire a Cap.

 

[Sam Spade]

I think he has a Cup ring, a new baby, and a contract that expires the season before the CBA does. I could see him signing a one year deal and then just leaving and playing in Russia/Olympics if there is a prolonged work stoppage.

 

[Thenameless]

EDIT: Don't forget the Caps will hand him a lot of ice time and support. He dragged them out of their misery and they will definitely want him to retire a Cap.

Yes, I still see a lot of one-timers from the circle coming his way in the next several years.

 

[deckercky]

Yeah, because there is guaranteed going to be no slow down in his career. Even greats like Lemieux and Gretzky slowed down with age/injuries, what makes Ovechkin immune to age?

Ovechkin has slowed down, he just adapted his game. He won't always be a gamebreaking forward like he has been, but if he has the will and stays healthy, he could continue for a long time as at least a powerplay specialist.