Nine games into the season for the Washington Capitals, Alex Ovechkin is scoring at a pace that could see him pass Wayne Gretzky by this spring.
Ovechkin scored his 858th career goal on Thursday night against the Montreal Canadiens, leaving him just 37 goals away from breaking Gretzky’s NHL record by the end of this season. He started the season needing 42 goals to reach this milestone, which once seemed impossible.
“He’s been awesome,” said his teammate Aliaksei Protas, who scored a goal with Ovechkin’s assistance in a 6-3 win. “The way he celebrates makes it feel like it’s his first NHL goal — knowing he’s chasing one of the greatest records.”
At 39 years old, Ovechkin has already scored five goals this season and continues to rack up goals at an age where few others have succeeded in hockey history.
“You can see the happiness in his eyes; he celebrates like a kid,” Protas said. “It’s special. That’s what makes him an incredible player and scorer. That’s how eager he is to score.”
Ovechkin made Montreal’s Cayden Primeau the 176th different goalie he has scored against. He is on track for his 19th season with 30 or more goals, already holding the record with 18 such seasons in NHL history.
After his three-point game against the Canadiens, Ovechkin praised Protas and center Dylan Strome for helping him score.
“You can see empty netters, you know?” Ovechkin said. “(Strome and Protas) find me out there, and I almost miss it, too.”
Ovechkin and the Capitals are off to their best start in nearly ten years, winning seven of their first nine games, a feat not accomplished since the 2015-16 season.
“Right now, we feel good,” Ovechkin said. “We support each other. Winning creates a great atmosphere, thanks to the coaches and players. I hope it stays like this, but it’s a long season. There will be ups and downs, so we need to stick together no matter what.”
