“The Gr8 Chase”, a triple entendre alluding to Alexander Ovechkin’s nickname “The Great Eight”, Wayne Gretzky’s nickname “The Great One”, and Ovechkin’s “chase for history”, has been the trademark for Ovechkin as he closes in on Gretzky’s all-time goal record. Ovechkin has become the only player close to beating Gretkzy’s 894 goals in a season record. Ovechkin passed Gordie Howe, who had sat at second with 801 but was, ultimately, surpassed. Ovechkin has a never-ending list of feats, which only encourage fans to believe that he will surpass Gretzky. Ovechkin has scored 50+ goals against 4 franchises, a feat no other active player has hit. Five is the most franchises any player has scored 50+ goals against.
Dylan Strome, Ovechkin’s linemate, spoke from a teammate’s perspective on what it’s like seeing Ovechkin do this. “Everyone’s just enjoying the ride.” Strome said, “I think you can see on the bench how excited the guys are. I think the whole arena gets a little bit of an extra jolt.” Strome has played with the Capitals since 2022, giving him the honor of watching the push of this chase since it began to be consistently tracked in 2022. Ovechkin scored the first and second goals of his NHL career while making his league debut October 5, 2005, tallying twice in less than five minutes against Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Pascal Leclaire, the first 178 netminders who have yielded an Ovechkin goal. Ovechkin has scored 19.5% of goals scored by the Capitals during games in which he was in the lineup (870 of 4,449; excluding shootout-deciding goals). That is the highest percentage in N.H.L. history for one franchise (min. 1,000 games played).
Coach Spencer Carbery, the head coach for the Washington Capitals, has had a front row seat to Ovechkin’s chase since 2023. “Our bench just goes bananas every time, even when he gets a scoring chance, “ Carbery said, “When he touches the puck, everybody sort of holds their breath a bit.” Washington’s start to the season, 9-3-0, was one of their hottest season starts since the 2015-2016 season, and Ovechkin’s historic record chase has only been adding extra energy to Capital One Arena, the Capital’s home rink. Ovechkin also ranks third in N.H.L. history with 425 career home goals, trailing only Wayne Gretzky (492) and Gordie Howe (449) on that list.
Wayne Gretzky, N.H.L. Hall of Famer, spoke on Ovechkin potentially surpassing him. “Listen, it’s not a question of if he’s going to break the record,” Gretzky said, “it’s a question of when is he going to break the record, which is great for the game.” Gretzky told the “T.N.T. on N.H.L.” crew. Ovechkin’s efforts to chase down Gretzky have given the Washington Capitals some much needed life to their season as a whole. Ovechkin has at least 20 goals at five different opposing venues, tied for the third most in N.H.L. history behind only Phil Esposito (7) and Wayne Gretzky (6). His 445 career road goals are the most in N.H.L. history.
