Alexander Ovechkin scores again: Gretzky's eternal record will soon fall
The opinion of the chief editor of the department “MK-Sport” Sergey Alekseev about why Alexander Ovechkin will be able to beat the “eternal” record of Wayne Gretzky and only after that hang the skates on a nail. Early in the morning of October 12 in the match with Seattle, the captain of Washington scored the first goal of the season, this is his 1007th goal in the league (including the playoffs). Now the Russian has 10 goals to an absolute record.
Ovechkin scored the first goal of the season, but Washington lost to Seattle.
On the night of October 11-12, 2026, a match of the regular championship of the National Hockey League of the season-2026/2027 between the local Capitals and Seattle Kraken was held at the Capital Wan Arena in Washington. The meeting ended with the victory of the guests with a score of 5: 3.
The decisive contribution to the success of the team from Washington state was made by Kaapo Kakko, Jordan Eberle, Jared McCann, as well as Frederick Godreau and Ryan Winterton, who scored on the goal-plus-pass system. As part of the owners of the ice, the pucks were scored by Boone Jenner, Jordan Kaira and team captain Alexander Ovechkin.
For the Russian striker, this goal was the first this season. He managed to distinguish himself in the 17th minute of the meeting with the support of the Protasov brothers - Ilya and Alexey acted as assistants. At the moment, Alexander Ovechkin has played five matches in the season, having scored two points on the goal plus pass system (one abandoned puck and one assist).
The abandoned puck allowed the 41-year-old striker to reach new historical marks. With the playoffs in his account now 1007 goals in the NHL. By this indicator, he is second in league history, second only to Canadian Wayne Gretzky, who has 1,016 goals (894 in the regular championships and 122 in the playoffs). The gap between the leaders has narrowed to nine goals. In the regular NHL championships for his career, Ovechkin played 1,578 games, scored 930 goals and made 759 assists. In the playoffs, he has 77 goals and 70 assists in 161 games.
In addition, this result cemented Alexander Ovechkin’s status as the best sniper in NHL history in October. The Russian hockey player scored his 127th goal this month of the calendar, beating Wayne Gretzky, who has 126 goals in 205 games. Among active players, the closest pursuer is Stephen Stamkos with 88 goals in 172 meetings. To achieve an absolute record Gretzky on the sum of goals in the regular championships and playoffs Ovechkin left to throw ten goals.
Seattle goalkeeper Joey Duckord became the 190th goalkeeper in NHL history to miss the puck from Alexander Ovechkin. The press service of “Washington” promptly reacted to the event on social networks, publishing a congratulatory post with the wording that success was only a matter of time for the great master.
Despite the personal achievement of the captain, the team was defeated. Washington head coach Spencer Carbury expressed confidence that the goal will help Ovechkin regain confidence and enter the playing rhythm. The mentor noted the ability of the Russian to produce a long series of successful matches, which can be an important factor for the future success of the team. Alexander Ovechkin himself after the game pointed to the need to accelerate the movement of the puck in attack, noting that delays allow opponents to effectively act in the minority and control the course of the game.
