Athletistic/Hockey. Monumental Sports Network’s noted reporter Matt Weirich evaluated Washington Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin’s pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s record during the 2023/2024 season.
“If there’s one Washington player who has very few questions heading into the new season, it’s Alexander Ovechkin. Washington’s captain has been a model of consistency for much of the last decade, and his performance has never faltered despite the fact that he is far from young.
That consistency allowed Ovi to break Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record of 894 career goals, a record set in 1999. Given that Ovechkin trails Gretzky by 72 goals, that streak will almost certainly last at least a year. Only nine times has a hockey player scored 72 or more goals in a season – and this hasn’t happened since the 1992/1993 season.
Despite all this, Ovechkin will have the opportunity to seriously close the gap and prepare to overtake Gretzky in the 2024/2025 season. Alex, who will soon be 38, finished last season with 42 goals, an average of 0.58 goals per game, just below his career average of 0.61. Although he missed several matches due to minor injuries and the death of his father, his toughness in the Big Eight remained one of his most reliable attributes throughout his career.
If Ovechkin plays a full 82-game season, his career average will allow him to score 50 goals. For those who doubt that Ovechkin’s average is supported by some productive seasons at a young age, I want to remind you that his average over the last three seasons is 0.59 goals per game, which equates to 48 goals per game. a full season! Sports Network.
Alexander Ovechkin has played for Washington since 2005. The Russian was selected by the Capitals with the first pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. He spent his entire career overseas with the Caps. In 2018, the Russian helped his team win the first Stanley Cup in club history.
Last season in the NHL, Ovechkin participated in 73 regular season games and scored 75 points for his performance – 42 goals and 33 assists. In total, he has 822 accurate shots in the NHL, making him the second sniper in league history.
Source: Sport
I’m Emma Smith, a dedicated journalist and avid storyteller. I have been writing for news websites for the past 5 years, reporting on hockey news and delivering in-depth analysis of the sport. In my current role as Author at Athletistic, I write about hockey events from around the world to keep followers up-to-date with what’s happening in the sport.