Ovechkin in awe of Gretzky as he approaches record
Published
As Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin approaches Wayne Gretzky's NHL goal record, he took some time to recognize 'The Great One's' accomplishment.
Prior to his team's game against the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday, Ovechkin toured the Edmonton Oilers Hall of Fame inside Rogers Arena on Monday.
Ovechkin was enamoured by the equipment Gretzky used while he was a member of the Oilers and scored 583 of his record 894 goals.
"When you have a chance to feel how different equipment was back then, I had, not the same gloves, but the same kind of materials. It was a special moment," said Ovechkin via NHL.com. "It's unbelievable, it's pretty crazy how [things] have changed over the years."
The Capitals went on to defeat the Edmonton 3-2 on Monday night as Ovechkin remains 21 goals shy of passing Gretzky's record.
After putting up how lowest offensive production in a non-shortened NHL season last year, the 20-year veteran came back with a vengeance this season, registering 21 goals and 33 points in 31 despite missing 13 games with a fractured fibula.
Since returning, Ovechkin has six goals and eight points in 13 games.
"I'm 20, 21 goals [away] and it's hard to score in this league," said Ovechkin. "You play against the best defensive players out there and maybe in one game, you maybe have two or three chances, and you have to use it, or maybe once chance. All five guys out there have to do the job."
The Capitals have surprised many prognosticators this season as they sit at the top of the NHL with a 32-10-5 record, four points ahead of the Winnipeg Jets. This comes after the team squeaked into the final wild-card position in the Eastern Conference last season with a 40-31-11 record before bowing out to the New York Rangers in the first round via a four-game sweep.
Washington re-tooled their lineup in the off-season, bringing in forwards Pierre-Luc Dubois and Andrew Mangiapane, defencemen Jakub Chychrun and Matt Roy, and goaltender Logan Thompson.
Ovechkin cited these off-season moves as one of the main reasons for both team and personal success.
"You can see how many guys signed before the season, experienced guys but still young, and still hungry to win the games and go to the playoffs," said Ovechkin. "The most important thing, I think, is that we have a great group of guys in the locker room. If something happens, we always try to stick together, and I think that's why we're successful right now."