President of the Russian Hockey Federation and former goalkeeper of the USSR national team Vladislav Tretyak expressed hope that Russian forward and Washington Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin will be able to break the sniper record of Canadian Wayne Gretzky, and also admitted that he is closely following this race. His words are leading “KP Sports”.
“The whole press writes about it. And Sasha probably reads everything – it’s incredibly difficult for him psychologically. I haven’t scored in three matches in a row, and the noise immediately begins. He is a great master and has already gone down in history, has become a legend. It was impossible to even imagine that someone would come close to Gretzky’s record, but they did it!” – said Tretyak.
In the first round of the 2023/24 NHL playoffs, Ovechkin’s Washington Capitals faced the New York Rangers, which also included Russian hockey players goaltender Igor Shesterkin and forward Artemy Panarin. The Capitals failed to win a single game and lost the series 0-4. Ovechkin did not score in these games.
Ovechkin has played in 79 regular season games and four playoff games in the NHL, scoring 31 goals and making 34 assists. The Canadian continues to follow Wayne Gretzky’s sharpshooting record. Ovechkin is second in all-time, 41 goals behind the Canadian; the Russian currently has 853 goals scored.
Previously in Washington made it easier Ovechkin’s life.