808 – two rollercoasters! Ovechkin is a stone’s throw from Wayne Gretzky

Gretzky: “Ovechkin will overtake me – it’s a matter of time”

The all-time leading scorer in NHL history, Wayne Gretzky, appeared in front of reporters in Boston while working as a TV analyst for the Winter Classics. Of course, he was immediately asked what he thought of Alexander Ovechkin’s New Year’s hat trick against Montreal (9:2). At that time, Ovi (806) already had an 88-goal gap with Gretzky (894). From a three-digit figure, it became a double-digit figure and melted like ice cream in the sun.

“I think we’re already past the stage where we thought if he would,” Gretzky explained on whether Ovechkin could pass him. – We said a year ago that it was already a matter of when he would. And that’s great for hockey itself. It’s positive, and I don’t think there’s a more suitable candidate that it could happen to. Ovechkin is great for our sport.

Gretzky elaborated on his idea: “A few guys I’ve seen in my career – Mike Bossy and Brett Hull – have scored a lot. They, as well as Ovechkin, this trinity, have one common feature – they rarely “smear” on goal.

Many times you can see during the game that certain guys have high scoring chances. But before you blink, the puck flies past the target. And if you watch Alex, Brett and Mike carefully, they don’t miss the net and they know how to find that open space where the forward can put the puck in the net and get past the defenders. »

Ovechkin: Thompson is big and strong, he has a good shot

This is how Ovechkin scored his first goal against Buffalo. Evgeny Kuznetsov won the faceoff and Alexander the Great fired without thinking too much. In front of him was a stockade of four players—three from the Sabres, one from the Capitals. But the puck flew between the two and went into the top corner when the goalie closed the bottom of the door. How can you orient yourself in such a second and get there in such a way? Here you must have a special talent.

… The game against Buffalo was special in its own way. Most importantly, all the thoughts of Sabers fans and the entire North American sports community were with Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin of American football, who suffered cardiac arrest after a power grab during a game with the Cincinnati. The athlete survived, his heartbeat was restored, taken to hospital, but his condition remained critical. And the Buffalo hockey players were even shielded from press inquiries and communications with reporters after the NHL game, as most questions would be about that topic.

Second, 25-year-old forward Tage Thompson plays for the Sabres. A two-meter striker, whose flight we might not have followed. He was drafted by St. Louis, but traded Thompson four years ago in a package with two other forwards and two first draft picks for Ryan O’Reilly.

The trade was not a failure as the Blues would not have won the Stanley Cup in 2019 without their new captain, O’Reilly. But Thompson at Buffalo got used to it – and started adding. Last season he scored 38 goals in 78 games. He now has 30 goals in 36 games. Looking ahead, I’ll say right away that Thompson scored a hat-trick in that game. He is second on the league’s top scorers list, beaten only by Connor McDavid (33). And for Ovechkin (28), this two-meter Taige Thompson serves as a landmark in the seasonal sniper race.

“Obviously he’s big and strong,” Ovechkin said of the contestant after the game. “Plus, Thompson moves the puck well. And he has a great shot.

Wayne promised to come to Ovi when he broke his record

Buffalo led 3-1, but Washington turned the tide with three goals. They are also suitable for Ovechkin’s double. Alexander scored the second goal when the Sabers players left him in front of their net, and Conor Sheary gave an accurate pass. Ovechkin’s one-knee throw was irresistible.

The game was never retired, Thompson scored the decisive goal in extra time, netting a hat-trick. But Ovechkin, who plays at number eight, again showed two magic eights – 808 goals in his career, there are already 86 goals ahead of Gretzky.

Returning to Wayne’s interview, the Great said: “There’s such an open area of ​​the ice that you feel and know how to score or not. So Alex definitely feels that moment. At this rate Ovechkin can go for 1 000 goals in his career. Gretzky replied: “Well, it depends on how long he plays. I hope Alex doesn’t get hurt.”

Wayne also appreciated that Gordie Howe’s sons – former NHL defensemen Mark and Marty Howe – backed Ovechkin as he was about to update their father’s record (801 goals). The Sons came to Washington’s game against Detroit and also witnessed Ovi’s big hunt.

Gretzky said he would like to do the same for Ovechkin as he nears his scoring record: “It depends on the league and Washington what they want to do. But obviously Gordy was a big inspiration to me and he was there when I broke his records. I thought it was very good of Mark and Marty to follow Alex when he was chasing Gordy. So, yes, when the time comes, I will gladly come to the Washington game. I’m not going to accompany every puck from Ovechkin now. But I’m ready to be there when he gets close.”

Tenth season of Alexander the Great with 50 goals?

That’s how Ovechkin’s double happens to win even in the eyes of the North American media on someone’s hat trick. Alexander the Great, moreover, came out in 16th place on the list of top scorers in NHL history. He scored the 1457th point, beating Teemu Selanne (1457). He has the same number of points as Finnish Flash, but significantly more goals (808 against 684). And 10 more points, and Ovechkin will overtake Stan Mikita (1467).

In general, at the current rate, Ovechkin goes to 57 goals per season. This could be the tenth time he has scored at least 50 goals, breaking the NHL record he shares with Gretzky and Mike Bossy so far. They have nine seasons with “fifty kopecks” so far.

“In this game, everything was going well for us when we played hard and threw the puck deep in their zone,” Ovechkin said after the game. “We kind of hacked into their attack zone. We had some really good chances in the second half, and when we started converting them there was a chance to turn the tide of the game.

… And Ovechkin has another grand achievement ahead of him. So far he has played 1,314 NHL regular season games, and only Aleksey Kovalev (1,316) is ahead of the Russians. As of this week, Ovi can catch up with him – it will be Saturday in a game against Nashville.