Russian ice hockey player Alexander Ovechkin broke one of the many scoring records of legendary Canadian star Wayne Gretzky. He became the first player in the history of the NHL, the league of American and Canadian professional teams, to score at least 40 goals per season for thirteen seasons.
With it, Ovechkin passed ice hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, who managed to do this for twelve seasons. The Washington Capitals star scored his 40th goal of the season Tuesday during the first period at home to the Columbus Blue Jackets. He skated to the right and fired a shot that landed at the far post.
The goal was initially awarded to teammate Dylan Strom, who would convert the ball, but upon looking at the footage, it was Columbus defender Nick Blankenberge who made the last touchdown on the ball. That is why the record is still in the name of Ovechkin.
In doing so, Ovechkin brought his total in the NHL to 820 goals. That’s still 74 fewer than Gretzky’s 894 goals, who remains the NHL’s leading scorer in absolute numbers. Ovechkin is 37, one year younger than Gretzky when he ended his active career in 1999.
Since Ovechkin entered the NHL as a rookie in the 2005-2006 season, no other player has managed to hit the 40-goal mark for more than six consecutive seasons.
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