With the 2024-25 NHL season just over a month away, talk of Alex Ovechkin’s chase of Wayne Gretzky’s goal record is heating up. Ovechkin, sitting at 853 career goals, is just 41 goals shy of tying Gretzky (894) for a share of the record with two years remaining on his contract with the Washington Capitals.
After playing in a KHL preseason tournament with SKA Saint Petersburg, Evgeny Kuznetsov was the latest player to be asked if he thinks Ovechkin could reach Gretzky’s mark — not ever, but this year. The 32-year-old centerman had a quippy response to Russian news outlet Izvestia.
“I think so, I hope so.” Kuznetsov said laughing as translated via Google Translate. “So that he won’t suffer anymore next year.”
The suffering Kuznetsov is referring to is likely both the pressure and incessantly being asked about the record by friends and reporters. Just a day after Kuznetsov’s interview, the Great Eight was asked about the record and responded in typical fashion.
“Talk about the chase?” Ovechkin asked Sport24’s Andrey Babich. “I’m already used to it. I don’t pay attention. I need to go out, do my job, and that’s it.”
Ovechkin’s mother, Tatyana Ovechkina, also recently expressed her disinterest in the media hype around her son’s chase of Gretzky.
“Personally, I’m not interested in [talk about the goals record] at all,” Ovechkina said to Match TV’s Pavel Lysenkov.
Ovechkin could break the record this season, but it’d require him to hit his career average in goals per game and remain healthy all year.
More of those same questions from the media are sure to come as soon as Ovechkin arrives back at MedStar Capitals Iceplex for training camp in September.
