Ovechkin blames shortened seasons for not yet breaking Gretzky's goal record

It seems like it is only a matter of time before Alexander Ovechkin dethrones Wayne Gretzky for the most goals in NHL history.

Gretzky managed 894 goals in his career, a record which most believed was untouchable. That is no longer the case, however, as Ovechkin, a nine-time Maurice Rocket Richard Trophy winner, sits just 41 shy with 853 of his own.

With two years remaining on his contract, the Russian winger should still be able to take over as the NHL’s all-time leading scorer, even with his declining performance this past season. The 38-year-old believes he would already have it if not for unforeseen circumstances.

“If there had been no lockout and no pandemic, I think Gretzky’s record would have been broken by now,” Ovechkin said in Russian during an interview on Podcasts with Amiran Sadarov, which was then transcribed by sports.ru. (translated with Google Translate). “But, unfortunately, such moments happen.”

Ovechkin hasn’t dealt with many injuries during his 1,426-game career, which has helped him close in on Gretzky’s record. As he alluded to, however, what has hurt is the shortened NHL seasons.

He was unable to play in the NHL as an 18-year-old, as the 2004-05 season didn’t take place due to a lockout. Then there was the 2012-13 season, which was locked out until January and wound up being just 48 games in total.

Ovechkin has experienced two more shortened seasons, both due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2019-20 season was just 69 games, while 2020-21 was only 56. Had those seasons all been the usual 82 games, Ovechkin may very well be right in his assessment, stating that he’d have already surpassed Gretzky.

Interestingly enough, Gretzky suited up for 1,487 games, 61 more than Ovechkin to this point. While it seems highly unlikely given that he only scored 31 all of last season, Ovechkin, who has proven that he can get hot like few others throughout his career, could potentially beat Gretzky’s record in fewer games if he were to have a big start to the 2024-25 season.

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