Alex Ovechkin is just nine goals away from passing Wayne Gretzky for the NHL’s all-time goals record. With every goal scored comes more media attention and pressure, leading up to what will be an inevitable circus when Ovi is on the precipice of making NHL history.
This season, Ovechkin has mostly eschewed speaking about his individual achievements, focusing on the team instead, and has often kept his interviews brief, seemingly to avoid speaking about the goals record. If he does speak about his goals, his answer usually defaults to something along the lines of: We’ll take it and move on.
In a sit down with Sport-Express’ Igor Rabiner, Ovechkin all but admits this is a deliberate strategy so he can stay in the moment and not get his hopes up.
“I don’t make plans, I just do my job,” Ovechkin said per a translation from Google Translate. “I do what’s necessary for the team, for the result. And then – if it works out, it will work out. If it doesn’t, it’s not a big deal.”
Ovechkin’s desire to not focus on the future was a constant theme throughout his conversation with Rabiner, who tried to broach the topic in several different ways throughout their chat. With the Caps having 18 games left in the 2024-25 campaign, Rabiner first asked Ovechkin if he had given any thought about the chase extending into next year.
“Again, I’m not planning that far ahead,” Ovechkin said. “The schedule is very tough, and now we need to prepare for the playoffs – we need to put all our personal goals aside.”
Rabiner then questioned Ovechkin about potentially scoring 1,000 goals in the regular season and playoffs combined. The Great Eight currently sits at 958 career markers in that regard, 58 behind Gretzky (1,016).
“Again, I’m not making any predictions,” Ovechkin replied.
Ovechkin is also a well known collector of hockey memorabilia, recently adding the stick Charlie Lindgren scored his own goal with earlier this season to his collection. Additionally, he collects all his own sticks, jerseys, gloves, and pucks from each goal he scores en route to surpassing Gretzky.
Rabiner, knowing about Ovechkin’s near obsessive collecting and desire to one day open a hockey museum in his native Russia, inquired if the legendary winger had any plans for the record-breaking puck.
“You’re talking about this again!” Ovechkin said. “We don’t look that far ahead!”
Given his coyness in answering many of the reporter’s questions, Ovechkin, who later joked “giving interviews” is his number-one “global dislike,” was then asked how he is able to block out all of the noise about the history he is fast approaching.
“I’ve gotten used to it during my career,” Ovechkin said. “This isn’t my first season in the NHL. There’s always some kind of pressure, some kind of talk. There’s nothing new in this for me.”
While Ovi is used to pressure, capturing a once-thought impossible to break record will likely bring uncomfortable feelings the Capitals’ captain has never experienced before. Speaking earlier in the season, Gretzky predicted that nerves for Ovi will eventually come, if they’re not there already.
“He’s human,” Gretzky said in December. “He’ll get a little bit nervous near the end, but he’s been nothing but positive for our sport and that’s most important, and he’s been great for the Washington Capitals.”
Ovechkin is also more superstitious than he lets on. While, as far as we understand, he isn’t biting other players or rearranging stools so they’re standing in the same spot as before a win, Ovechkin follows many of the same routines before games — from the meal he takes on flights to the hoodie he wears pregame. This means he likely does not want to start waxing poetic about the record until he’s actually achieved the feat.
Despite all the attention league wide about his chase, Ovechkin is having one of his best career seasons individually, leading the Capitals to first place in the NHL standings (42-14-8, 92 points). Ovechkin’s 0.69 goal-per-game rate would see him score 56 goals over a full 82-game schedule, which would be tied for the second-most goals he has ever scored in a single season.
Ovechkin will bring more eyes on himself if he dents the twine against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night. He is on pace to tie Gretzky’s on April 2 at Carolina and break it April 6 against the Islanders.
