39 year old Ovi keeping pace with Prime aged Matthews is all you need to know whenever a leafs fan tries to put Matthews on Ovi’s level.49 goals in his last 74 games going back to last season.
These totals are from January 27, 2024 until today. January 27 was when he started to turn his season around.
Gretzky's birthday is January 26.
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As lucky as Gretzky was, playing his prime in the high flying 80s, he was a bit unlucky to have the dawn of his career coincide with the dead puck era. Had he been 38 in 2005-06's scoring environment I think he'd still be competing with Jagr and Thornton for the Ross. But this is a first world problem kind of thing, lol.
Both Marner and Matthews are kind of unicorns. You would think they play opposite positions. But yeah, I think people way underestimate Marner because they focus on playoffs results or his occasional shortcomings. That said, to date he is the #1 winger in NHL history for assists per game played. The only Centres ahead of him are: Gretzky, Lemieux, McDavid, Forsberg, Stastny, Oates. There are 3 d-men ahead: Orr, Hughes, Coffey.
No, you're not. But the longer you're on this site you'll realize that most around here aren't able to do basic math let alone make any future predictions based on math. It's tiresome to have to prove people right time and time again around here, as I was one of the few who pointed out that Ovechkin would break Gretzky's goal record back in 2013...
Let's not bring in "what ifs" though.....you can pile up a bunch of those for any player.
But if you were someone pointing out that OV would break the record back in 2013, you would have simply been a dreamer. You wouldn't say back then that it can't happen, it's impossible, etc....it just would have been way too early to even starting thinking about it....he hadn't even gotten to 400 goals at that point.
100%.....it will absolutely be a bit deal when he scores 894. So yeah, both right. To be fair, once he scores 895, goal 894 becomes irrelevant.
For me, beating 894 is the main event. So 16.
True...but if he scores 894 and then has a career ending injury, he'll still be in the record books at the NHL's all-time leading goal scorer, he'd just be sharing it with someone else.....but yes, 895 is the big one, but 894 is certainly a big milestone as well.
All the signs were starting to point to Ovechkin breaking Gretzky's goal record by 2013. Ovechkin had just made a comeback and won both the Rocket and the Hart in 2013 and he started the 2013-14 season on fire with 20 goals in 22 games. The NHL was clearly getting softer and softer by every year and people started to point out that Ovechkin seems to be extra durable. Hockey players were also playing longer than before with both Jagr and Selanne still playing.
His career was perfect timing and he got the best out of it.
Jersey number counter in this thread started when OV scored 795, with Gretz #99.
I don't dispute any of that....agree, he was scoring at a rate that made it somewhat believable and not impossible if you starting projecting out....I just thought it would have been way too early to do it since there were still so may things that could derail it. 1) he wasn't even close to half way there yet, so too early in my mind....period, 2) project out to if he played until 40....most guys don't play that long, some play quite a bit longer, but it's a very short list, etc....point is projecting someone to play until 40 is already going well beyond the norm, 3) projecting that he plays that long + doesn't miss many games....that's even more rare and 4) projecting he plays that long, doesn't miss many games and keeps scoring at a high rate.....all those variables had to fall in place. Honestly, if someone would have asked me back then, I would have said I don't think he'd do it....but I actually wouldn't have bene thinking about it at all because it would have been too early.
not quite perfect timing. starting in about 73 would have been perfect timing.
Wow thats a fascinating chart. Thanks for sharing it, really shows what Ovi is doing is just so dam impressive on another level
400 goals is a respectable career for the majority of players. Only 9 active players have that many (Benn, Matthews, Draisaitl, Pastrnak are all on the cusp).
Crazy move for Torts to pull the goalie up 1 to 0 in the first period.
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