Ovechkin milestone thread - 850 and Beyond!

[norrisnick]

Old and fat, but likes to score too much, he will not stop

Malik did it first and better.

 

[kugelbahn]

Malik did it first and better.

Yeah, but Malik was not old and fat, well maybe he is now

 

[User9992]

Will Ovi break Gretzky's goal record?

Ovi has to score 73 goals in remaining 3 seasons of his contract. That's less than 25 goals in 3 years.

Can he do it?

 

[DearDiary]

Of course. Is there a reason why you think he might not do it?

 

[HTFN]

Of course. Is there a reason why you think he might not do it?

Yeah, we all have to wonder when our prize horse will come up limp eventually but for the time being just eyeballing it and how he's already managed so long... it does seem more like when than if. Knock on wood and all that, but the last few years Ovechkin's also started to up his off-season game a little more than it seemed in years past too, which may or may not end up a bonus since some of that can be protective weight but he's slimmer and quicker than he was give or take 3 years ago.

Still a horse, but looks like he's got some legs back. I'm still pretty sure an injury took his ability to really keep the puck on a string because his stickhandling disappeared and just never fully came back, but he's got what he needs to get this done barring unforeseen and unpredictable injury.

Actually the most realistic drawback would be if Carbery can't figure out how to use him in-system and inadvertently brings things back to the Hunter years, but I think they'll probably manage.

 

[TruePowerSlave]

Only a career ending injury will stop it

 

[alko]

Of course. Is there a reason why you think he might not do it?

Injury?. He is old , he will be 38 years old in September.

And also some controversy option - will he opt to play in KHL and forget the hunt after goal record?

 

[BruinLVGA]

I think that the odds are in his favor. He just needs to stay health and focused. But I think that there‘s a solid chance he will.

 

[Leafshater67]

Crazy he’s even this close despite lockouts and Covid. I never thought he would hit but he’s 38 and still one of the best pure goal scorers in the game. Incredible. I think he does it and the fact that we’re even asking is so impressive.

I’m glad I got to watch his career.

 

[DFAC]

Definitely

 

[Oddbob]

I think at this point he will just come back until he gets it. Even if he somehow slowed to 10 goals a season.

Crazy he’s even this close despite lockouts and Covid. I never thought he would hit but he’s 38 and still one of the best pure goal scorers in the game. Incredible. I think he does it and the fact that we’re even asking is so impressive.

I’m glad I got to watch his career.

Gretzky had a lockout as well. Gretzky was also quite a bit more unhealthy by this point of his career as well.

 

[Statto]

I think at this point he will just come back until he gets it. Even if he somehow slowed to 10 goals a season.



Gretzky had a lockout as well. Gretzky was also quite a bit more unhealthy by this point of his career as well.

People forget that after ‘92 and the career threatening back injury he suffered, it was the beginning of a deterioration in his ability to shoot the puck properly. It’s why his season in 93/94 was so remarkable. Yes, he ‘recovered’ but a physical decline followed, he became increasingly hunched over and he lost something in his shot without a doubt.

Ovi will break the record and there is no doubting his talent, he will deserve it. However for me Gretzky will still be the best scorer of all time. He focused on passing the puck and still racked up crazy goal numbers and from the age of around 31/2 his body affected his shooting. Prime Gretzky takes it every time. I’m sure someone will jump in and say ‘but goalies….’ and I’ll counter with ‘wooden sticks, 2 line passes, heavy skates, more hostile environment’.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

Injury?. He is old , he will be 38 years old in September.

And also some controversy option - will he opt to play in KHL and forget the hunt after goal record?

He’s under contract with the Capitals until 2025-26, he cannot leave the NHL until then.

Unless something out of the ordinary happens, he should’ve broken the record by then for sure.

 

[bobholly39]

Of course. Is there a reason why you think he might not do it?

Age/injuries?

I think he's in a good position to do it - but it's absolutely not a certainty. In all 100+ years of NHL history - there are only 8 instances where a player age 38+ has scored 30 goals or more in a season. Considering how great Ovechkin is ageing as a goal-scorer, good chance he adds to that record, but it's also possible that with age he finally starts to slow down a bit more.

Also - after being healthy most of his career and missing very little time - Ovechkin has also just missed an average of 8 games each of the last 3 seasons. 8 games is not a ton, but it starts to add up, and it's slower to heal at his age.

Finally - Washington was a bad team last season. Not sure they really improved much - if at all - this off-season. Sometimes scoring a lot of goals on a bad team can actually be easier, but very often it's a lot more difficult.

Lots of dynamics at play. I think there's a good chance Ovechkin will break the record, but it's not a sure thing. Nothing is at age 38 in professional hockey.

 

[Fatass]

Absolutely. OV breaks the goal record in the 2024/2025 season.

 

[pi314]

I mean every hockey player is one injury away from never playing again.

But barring any health issues, it looks like a slam dunk.

 

[WarriorofTime]

He can always extend if he's within like 15 goals.

 

[Rebels57]

Without a doubt, and it will be an awesome moment.

 

[LevelingSolo]

Ovi is a super soldier, its incredible how healthy he's stayed throughout his career

Knocks wood

 

[Allie Kitsune]

Barring major injuries, there's no way he doesn't.

 

[budaj guy]

Being a Gretzky fan as a kid still affects how I view Ovi chasing the goals record. That said, I hope he breaks it, that would be great for hockey. Gretz still has so many other records, and Ovechkin will have earned the record if he gets there. I think it’s safe to say Ovi is the greatest goal scorer the league has ever seen.

 

[Toby91ca]

He can always extend if he's within like 15 goals.

Agree....it's a weird thing though. If you wouldn't otherwise be playing, you probably don't want to keep playing just to get a certain statistic. At the same time though, if you are so close to an all-time goal record, how could you not play? That said....I don't think this happens, but if he gets to the end of the contract at 40 and he's still 15 goals away, that means he only averaged less than 20 goals per year....but more likely a lot more in year 1, less in year 2 and less in year 3....so might mean he scored less than 10 goals as a 40 year old, so getting another 15 might look like a lot....especially as he'd be 41 at that point.

I think that's all meaningless though as I doubt that happens. I think there is a decent change he gets there in the next 2 years, so by 39, but if not, he's probably close enough that he gets there fairly comfortably at 40.

I'm sure his scoring is going to decrease, perhaps more than most might think, but I think injuries are the only thing that might stand in his way.

 

[HockeyVirus]

I think it is likely he scores 40 goals this season. It will happen next year.

 

[Rants Mulliniks]

Barring injury it should be a cakewalk.

 

[Rob Brown]

He scored 42 in 73 games last year, and only needs 36 in each of the next two seasons to just tie Gretzky. It's happening unless he suffers a career ending injury.