Alex Ovechkin makes bold claim about breaking Wayne Gretzky’s goal record

Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin is just 42 goals away from breaking Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record most career goals.

But the 38-year-old Russian believes he would have already broken Gretzky’s record if not for the 155 games he was forced to miss due to two NHL lockouts (2004-05, 2012-13) and the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020.

“If there had been no lockout and no pandemic, I think Gretzky’s record would have been broken by now,” Ovechkin recently said during an appearance on “Podcasts with Amiran Sardarov.” “But unfortunately, such moments happen.”

Ovechkin may have a point.

He’s averaged 0.59 goals per game over his 1,426 NHL games. That goal-scoring pace would have given him an extra 92 goals during those 155 missed games, which means not only would he have blown past Gretzky by now, he also would’ve been the first player in NHL history to reach the 900-goal plateau.

Of his 19 seasons, Ovechkin has scored 30 or more goals in 18 of them and the one he didn’t was the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season where the NHL played a 56-game schedule. He scored 24 goals that year.

Ovechkin, Gretzky and Hall of Famer Gordie Howe are the only players to ever score 800 or more goals in their careers.

If Ovechkin passes Gretzky’s goal-scoring record, there’s little left for him to prove in the NHL.

His resume, which includes 13 All-Star appearances, nine Rocket Richard Trophy wins (NHL’s top goal scorer), three Hart Memorial trophy wins (NHL MVP), an Art Ross Trophy win (NHL’s leading scorer), a Calder Trophy win (NHL’s top rookie) plus a Conn Smythe award (playoff MVP) and Stanley Cup championship, already ranks among the best to ever do it.