‘There’s a lot of pressure’: Ovechkin hits minor scoring snag in Howe chase

Almost 60 years ago, the greatest hockey player who ever lived (at the time) was close to becoming the top goal scorer in NHL history.

Gordie Howe was one goal away from tying Maurice Richard’s record of 544 in 1963, but he hit a small slump. He went three games over two weeks without a goal before finally scoring No. 544. He then had to wait five more games and another two weeks to have the record all to himself. 

Howe’s two sons were among 18,573 fans in attendance Monday night at Capital One Arena to witness Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin make history and tie Howe for second on the NHL’s all-time goals list at 801. But similar to “Mr. Hockey,” the “Great 8” went a third straight game without a goal in Monday’s win over the Detroit Red Wings, Howe’s former team. 

“The two most impressionable games I was ever at was when dad scored his 544th to tie Rocket Richard’s record, and [two] weeks to the day they played the Canadiens again when he scored his 545th,” said Mark Howe, Gordie Howe’s middle son. “You don’t think about it, but, yeah, there’s a lot of pressure. It’s tough when all the eyes of the world are on you and you’re trying to come through. I understand what he’s going through.”

Gordie Howe died in 2016.

Ovechkin’s brief snag isn’t anything to be alarmed about. First, not scoring in three straight games is hardly a slump, even for a player with 800 career goals. For example, he’s gone goalless in three games four separate times this season and is still on pace for almost 50 scores. Now, if it gets to, say, five or six games — that would be a little unusual. But for now, it’s just the natural ups and downs of an 82-game season. 

However, this has happened to Ovechkin before. He experienced brief droughts before scoring goal Nos. 600 and 700. In February 2020, Ovechkin was stuck at 698 for five games before scoring on back-to-back nights to reach 700. Two years earlier, he was at 598 for three games before scoring twice to get to 600.

“Everybody knows, for him, it’s just a matter of time,” Capitals center Lars Eller said. 

Only one other player has passed Howe, and it wasn’t easy for him either. 

In 1994, Wayne Gretzky was approaching Howe’s record. He scored five times in six games to be just three goals behind Howe, but he then found the back of the cage just once in his next seven contests. Gretzky ended the slump by tying Howe with two goals in the same game and passing him three days later. 

After Howe, “The Great One” at 894 goals will be the only player who remains in Ovechkin’s path. 

“If I was a betting man, I would bet he’s going to catch Wayne,” said Mark Howe, a former NHL player and currently the director of pro scouting for the Red Wings. 

Ovechkin entered the recent three-game homestand for the surging Capitals (17-13-4) with seven goals in his past four games, including a hat trick against Chicago to score Nos. 798, 799 and 800. After starting the season slow (for his standards), the 37-year-old has been scoring at an elite pace over the past month. 

“He’s brought the sport of hockey and the Caps name to a whole new level in the city,” Mark Howe said. “As a scout — I scouted him for a lot of years — I say there are very few people that have that ‘wow’ factor. Every time he would shoot a puck, my thoughts would be, ‘Thank God I didn’t have to get in front of that and block it.”

In Monday’s overtime win over Detroit, Ovechkin had multiple great opportunities, including a backhander that went off the post. 

“I can’t believe a couple of those didn’t go in,” said teammate Nic Dowd, who scored two goals in 11 seconds in the win. 

Washington coach Peter Laviolette even resorted to double-shifting Ovechkin a few times. The veteran’s 24 minutes, and 31 seconds was his second-highest ice time of the season. 

“Sometimes you can just see him, he wants it,” Laviolette said. “He looks at you, he’s got it in his eyes.”

“He’s slinging it,” Laviolette added with a smile. 

Mark Howe said he believes Ovechkin was “a little nervous” during Monday’s game. 

“There’s a lot of pressure on him,” he said.

But Ovechkin’s teammates don’t have any nerves about the Russian winger finding the back of the net soon, as the Capitals travel to Ottawa for their next game.

“Oh yeah,” Dowd said when a reporter jokingly asked if Ovechkin will ever score again. 

“He’ll get another 100.”