Alexander Velik: how Ovechkin caught up with Gretzky

Washington forward Alexander Ovechkin scored a double in the NHL regular season match with Chicago (5-3) on the night of April 5. The 39-year-old Russian's second goal was the 894th of his career in the 1486th game in the North American League. Ovechkin repeated Wayne Gretzky's sniper record for goals in the regular season. The 39-year-old Russian is in his 20th NHL season. Ovechkin scored his first league goal on October 5, 2005.

On a par with Novak and LeBron

Gretzky scored 894 goals in 1,487 games in 20 NHL seasons, which he spent with Edmonton, Los Angeles, St. Louis and the Rangers. The Canadian has single-handedly topped the list of top snipers since March 23, 1994, when he scored his 802nd goal and beat Gordie Howe. Gretzky scored the last 894th goal of his career on March 29, 1999, in the 1479th game, eight matches before the end of the 1998/99 season, after which he retired. It seemed that this record would last forever, but Alexander Ovechkin did not agree with this opinion.

"The emotions are the most positive," Gleb Chistyakov, Ovechkin's agent, told Izvestia. — Repeating Gretzky's record is a brilliant achievement, but we need to take another step forward. And I know what this step is. Therefore, we wait and believe.

You can shout after the 894th goal of the Washington captain, which he scored against Chicago, for the sake of the greatness of the moment, something in the spirit of "He did it, our legend!" But it won't look natural. In this case, expectation, anticipation, and legacy are more interesting than the final point itself.

Ovechkin has been striving for his achievement for many years, and for the last three seasons it has been all about the Great Pursuit of Wayne Gretzky, as if nothing important was happening with Washington and its captain anymore. No one doubted that sooner or later Alexander would achieve his cherished goal. Momentary delights can be reserved for other memorable stories such as Ilya Kovalchuk's golden goal at the 2008 World Cup or Kaprizov's golden year at the 2018 Games. They are beautiful in the moment.

What the captain of the Washington achieved has a fundamentally different meaning on a global scale. First of all, it testifies to a purely athletic greatness, putting Ovechkin next to the best athletes of all time.

"Few people believed that Gretzky's record would be repeated," Vyacheslav Bykov, a former coach of the Russian national team, told Izvestia. — But a talented player appeared and he was able to! Will Ovechkin's potential new record last forever? It is impossible to predict, but others will have aspirations, even though it will be very difficult and difficult to do so. Moreover, Alexander is not going to stop there, but will continue to improve it.

Staying one of the best in the business for two decades is the lot of superstars like LeBron James or Novak Djokovic. There were no Russians around. But now there is. Even Ovechkin's contemporaries, who went to the playground with him, never tire of admiring his motivation. Hockey players who have been accustomed to competition and overcoming since childhood admire a man who continues to make history at a pre-retirement age by sports standards.

Great luck

In 2010-2012, when Ovechkin's performance dropped below the 40-goal mark per season, North American colleagues wrote that the Capitals striker was no longer the same, he was losing physically and they had adapted to him. This was not the private opinion of one or two envious people, but a fairly common point of view. Now we have to look at those conclusions with a sarcastic smile. How can smart people be so naively mistaken? There's nothing strange about that. Ovechkin himself is most responsible for such a change of shoes, which never ceases to amaze.

The record is beautiful not only in numbers, but also in the personality of its owner. Alexander has long gone beyond the purely hockey boundaries, which has benefited the entire industry, not just himself. The top officials of Russia and the United States consider it an honor to shake his hand and chat with him at the meeting.

"This is a very impressive achievement,— NHL vice commissioner Bill Daley said in a conversation with Izvestia. — I really like what Alexander has brought to the NHL over the past 20 years. He loves the game passionately, and his enthusiasm is contagious. We are very lucky to have him working in our League.

Ovechkin began his last stretch to a new peak under the most severe pressure related to the political situation in the world, and came out of it with the most dignity. This deserves respect, no matter how much the haters are tearing their throats and Dominik Hasek is furious. The very word "Russian" in hockey has not sounded so proud for a long time. A unique record belongs not only to Ovechkin, but also to the whole country, where the great striker grew up and developed his talent. These things cannot be overestimated either at the moment or in the near future.

And before he could beat Gretzky and become the sole owner of the record, Ovechkin had to score one goal. There is very little time left to wait.

"I am glad, happy and proud for Sasha," said Vyacheslav Fetisov, two—time Olympic champion and three—time Stanley Cup winner. — First of all, I thank and congratulate his mother, Tatiana Nikolaevna Ovechkina. Congratulations to Sasha's entire family, who always support him. And congratulations, of course, to Alexander Mikhailovich himself on repeating the great record. It remains to score one more goal, we will all wait for this together. Did Ovechkin not enter the court when Chicago had an empty goal? I didn't want to score empty goals, apparently. Although it would be nice to complete this task with a hat-trick.

In 2018, Washington, which has been playing in the NHL since 1974, won the Stanley Cup for the first time, and Ovechkin became the first Russian team captain in history to win the main league trophy, and he was also recognized as the most valuable player of the playoffs.

During his career in the NHL, the Russian received many personal awards.:

"Maurice Richard Trophy" — best scorer of the regular season (2008, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020);

Art Ross Trophy — the best scorer of the regular season (2008);

Calder Trophy for the Best Rookie of the season (2006);

Hart Trophy — the best hockey player of the season (2008, 2009, 2013);

Ted Lindsay Evard (until 2010, Lester Pearson Evard) — the most outstanding hockey player of the season (2008, 2009, 2010)

Conn Smythe Trophy for the Most Valuable Hockey Player of the Playoffs (2018).