In a discussion about the pursuit of a historic mark in professional hockey, Valery Kamensky, a vice president of the Kontinental Hockey League, weighed the chances of Russian star Alexander Ovechkin chasing down Wayne Gretzky’s all time goal record. The remarks were noted as a live result in coverage of the event.
Kamensky acknowledged Ovechkin’s exceptional talent, noting that the forward came very close to Gretzky’s record. He asked whether it would be feasible for Ovechkin to reach fifty goals across the next two seasons given his current age, and he answered affirmatively. The veteran executive added that nothing would likely prevent such a feat from happening, provided the player remains healthy, because injuries are the true obstacle that could derail the effort.
During the current season, Ovechkin played in sixty four games, tallying twenty one goals and handing out thirty one assists. In a February encounter with the Florida Panthers, the Russian forward marked his one thousand four hundredth game in the National Hockey League.
Across his career in the NHL, Ovechkin has accumulated eight hundred forty three goals. Wayne Gretzky, the legendary Canadian known for his record in NHL scoring, stands at eight hundred ninety four goals, leaving a gap of fifty one goals between the two players.
Earlier in his career, Ovechkin had a stretch where his goal tally showed a strong relationship with Gretzky’s game counts, a parallel that underscored the ongoing conversation about the possibility of catching the all time leader in goals. The topic has often resurfaced among fans and analysts as Ovechkin continues to extend his career and maintain his goal scoring pace. The comparison has remained a central talking point in the broader discussion about longevity, consistency, and the changing dynamics of the league’s offensive landscape.