Alex Ovechkin and Wayne Gretzky are the two greatest goal-scorers in NHL history. While the Goals GOATs played in different eras — Gretzky retired in 1999 and Ovechkin made his NHL debut in 2005 — they still managed to have some overlap statistically speaking.
![Wayne Gretzky: “I Want To See [Capitals' Alex] Ovechkin [Break] My Record” | NoVa Caps](https://novacapsfans.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/nhl.com_-2.jpg)
According to the NHL, the two superstar forwards managed to score on 11 of the same goaltenders — one of which is a current ESPN contributor and another Capitals fans will be very familiar with.
| Goaltender | Ovechkin goals | Gretzky goals |
|---|---|---|
| Sean Burke | 3 | 10 |
| Martin Brodeur | 7 | 5 |
| Jean-Sebastien Giguere | 7 | 1 |
| Ed Belfour | 6 | 1 |
| Nikolai Khabibulin | 4 | 2 |
| Olie Kolzig | 1 | 3 |
| Chris Osgood | 1 | 3 |
| Dominik Hasek | 1 | 2 |
| Mike Dunham | 2 | 1 |
| Garth Snow | 2 | 1 |
| Kevin Weekes | 1 | 2 |
The 11 goaltenders gave up a combined 66 goals to Gretzky and Ovechkin. Three of the goaltenders are Hockey Hall of Famers (Brodeur, Belfour, and Hasek) and the group has won 10 Stanley Cups combined (Brodeur, 3; Osgood, 3; Hasek, 2; Belfour, 1; and Khabibulin, 1).
Kolzig, who is currently a Capitals development coach, was the only goaltender who was teammates with Ovechkin.
Ovechkin’s only goal against Kolzig came on November 10, 2008 when the former Vezina Trophy winner played for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Ovechkin scored his third goal of the season, and the 166th career goal, late in the third period. The Capitals would win 4-2. The Capitals captain would go to score 56 goals that season and win the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy.
Gretzky scored his final two goals on Kolzig on January 3, 1998, in the New York Rangers’ 3-2 win over the Washington Capitals at MCI Center. The tallies marked Gretzky’s 872nd and 873rd goals of his career.
Ovechkin, so far, has scored on 175 different goaltenders (see the full list here) — third-most in NHL history — while Gretzky scored on 155 different netminders.
