With Washington Capitals legend Alex Ovechkin on the cusp of dethroning Wayne Gretzky in a record many thought was unbreakable, the NHL is gearing up for a memorable moment in league history, which could happen on any given night. As Ovechkin sits just three goals away from the all-time scoring record, ‘The Great One’ and the league made a surprising decision that could add extra pressure on ‘Ovi’ as he nears immortality.
Washington visits the Carolina Hurricanes on April 2, with Ovechkin registering 891 career NHL goals before puckdrop. The 39-year-old Russian entered the matchup riding a two-game goal streak, which he extended after scoring a power play goal against the Canes.
Ovechkin is so close he can already feel the weight of history on his shoulders. The entire league is cheering for him to etch his name on a record deemed unreachable. After him, it’s hard to envision any other star threatening Ovi’s title as all-time leading goalscorer.
However, Washington‘s captain is in a race against the clock. With just eight games left in the season, he needs to maintain a 0.5 goals-per-game pace—meaning he must score in at least one of every two outings, from here onwards. If he fails, then the record will surely be broken during the 2025-26 campaign, but the wait during the playoffs and offseason would feel insufferable for fans.
Given Ovechkin’s ability to score in bunches, the NHL must be ready for history to unfold at any moment. To ensure they aren’t caught off guard, they’ve announced a special tour that will follow his upcoming games.
Wayne Gretzky will be part of a traveling caravan that will attend every Washington Capitals game until Ovechkin breaks the record, according to The Athletic. Joining ‘The Great One’ on his tour will be commissioner Gary Bettman and Ovechkin’s wife Nastya.
Gretzky’s precedent
Though surprising, it won’t be an unprecedented event in the NHL. A similar procedure took place when Gretzky surpassed Gordie Howe as the top goalscorer in league history during the 1993-94 campaign.
Then, Howe was introduced on the ice to shake Gretzky’s hand and congratulate the L.A. Kings’ star. While Gretzky would love to hold every record in the NHL, he has no ill towards Ovechkin. Plus, ‘The Great One’ still holds many other records in the league, with no one remotely close to his numbers.
“What he’s done is remarkable,” Gretzky said earlier in December. “Listen, it’s good for the sport, it’s great for the game, and hopefully I’m there to shake his hand the night he breaks the record.”
No delay of game penalty
According to several reports, Bettman and the NHL have a big celebration planned for Ovechkin when he actually breaks the record, one that will stop the game immediately for some minutes.
“Once he actually breaks the record, they’re going to stop the game and have a ceremony on the ice,” ESPN’s Emily Kaplan stated. “It’s going to be about seven to eight minutes, there’s going to be speeches, a video tribute, and this is exactly what they did for Gretzky when he broke Howe’s record.
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“Then, Bettman presented Gretzky a gift: a book of all his old gamesheets. We’ll see what they have in store for Ovi because I know there’s been a lot of planning behind the scenes.”