Can Ovechkin catch Gretzky? ‘The Great One’ rooting for him
Wayne Gretzky sees a lot of himself in Alex Ovechkin, from the smile on his face each time he steps on the ice to his passion for scoring.
There are also differences, like Gretzky’s sole focus on the NHL growing up in Brantford, Ontario, versus Ovechkin’s upbringing in Moscow. “The Great One” believes the Washington Capitals’ captain has a good chance of breaking his alltime record of 894 goals that once seemed untouchable, depending on how long Ovechkin plays in the NHL. Gretzky speculated that Ovechkin could go home to Russia and finish his career in the Kontinental Hockey League.
“Maybe one day in his mind he’ll say, ‘Look, I want to go home and play in the KHL when I can still compete at a high level,’ ” Gretzky told The Associated Press in a phone interview Sunday. “But I think he loves being in Washington, I think he loves the NHL and I think he’ll do everything he can at any point to chase down the record.”
Ovechkin’s longevity and his pursuit of Gretzky’s record are among the topics they discussed in their first joint interview, which airs at 5 p.m. today on NBC Sports Network. It comes with them 3,000 miles away and hockey on hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic but shines a spotlight on the potential of Ovechkin, who has 706 goals, spending the next few years chasing Gretzky.
Ovechkin has 48 goals this season, tied for the league lead with Boston’s David Pastrnak.
When asked how long he’d play, Ovechkin has repeatedly referred to the one year remaining on his contract and said, “We’ll see.” He answers the same to NBC’s Kathryn Tappen during the special with Gretzky and adds: “I still love this game. As soon as I’m not gonna love this game, I’m not gonna cheat on it because I respect it a lot.”
Gretzky recalls his dad telling him his record will be broken one day and hoping he handles it with the same class and dignity Gordie Howe did when Gretzky surpassed him as the leading goal-scorer.
“I can’t help but cheer and root for him each and every day,” Gretzky said.