With Howe in rearview, Ovechkin’s chase of Gretzky just got more real

Wayne Gretzky’s goals record was once considered unbreakable. Not anymore. 

Gretzky’s mark of 894 goals has been within the realm of possibility for years now as Alex Ovechkin has ripped off 30-, 40- and 50-goal seasons, year after year. 

Many, including “The Great One” himself, expect Ovechkin to eventually score No. 895. 

But not until this weekend — not until Ovechkin tied and passed Gordie Howe, “Mr. Hockey” — could Ovechkin’s climb up the goals leaderboard constitute an official chase-down of Gretzky. 

Now, though, every single puck Ovechkin puts in the back of the net for the next few years will include an extra sentence denoting how many goals he’s away from Gretzky. He’s 93 goals away from usurping Gretzky, the greatest hockey player who ever lived, on the all-time list. 

This new era of Ovechkin’s career — one in which every goal is part of a greater story — begins Tuesday when the Capitals return to the ice from the NHL’s Christmas break. 

“Now it’s time to set new goals for No. 99,” Mark Howe, son of Gordie Howe, said in a video that played at Capital One Arena after Ovechkin moved into second all-time. Gretzky wore No. 99 during his NHL career. 

Ovechkin, however, isn’t ready to put his sights on Gretzky — even if the rest of the hockey world is. After saying he was going to celebrate by going to the bar, eating a hot dog and nachos, the 37-year-old said, in a less direct way, to relax on the Gretzky talk. 

“Step by step, guys. Still a long way,” Ovechkin said. “Right now, it’s time to spend time with the family, just enjoy this moment.”

His teammates, on the other hand, were quick to hype up their favorite Russian winger. A few nights before, as “The Great 8” was in the midst of a brief snag to tie Howe (a slump that reached four games), teammate Nic Dowd said Ovechkin had 100 more goals to score, not just the few he needed to pass Howe. Dylan Strome then unpromptedly brought up on Friday how Ovechkin is 93 away from passing Gretzky — a feat most say is within his reach.

“It’s history,” Strome said. “Everyone in here talks about it. We understand the history of the game, and it’s impressive. It’s fun to watch, fun to be a part of. It’s a dream come true, to be honest.”

Ovechkin’s coach also had high praise for the Capitals’ captain. Peter Laviolette, who has nearly seen it all in his 21 years, said what Ovechkin has accomplished with Washington is “unbelievable.” 

“He’s knocked something off, he moves past something, he does something special almost on a nightly basis, and obviously this is a big one,” Laviolette said. “I think you really appreciate it more when you sit in the locker room after a game and you realize, he just fired the most shots on net in the National Hockey League. Well that’s pretty unbelievable but it is one after the other and obviously some of them hold more weight but he keeps moving the chain with regard to what he does on the ice and keeps knocking things down and tonight obviously was a big one.” 

Of course, passing Gretzky is no guarantee. Sure, Ovechkin is still on a 50-goal pace in his 18th season at age 37. But the NHL usually isn’t kind to players in their late 30s, although Ovechkin, who has only missed 47 games in his career due to injury, has thus far proven to be the exception, not the rule. 

“Alex hasn’t slowed down,” teammate Nicklas Backstrom wrote in a column for NHL.com. “He’s 37 years old, but nothing has changed. He’s a machine. It’s natural. His shot is not slowing down. He still plays a physical style.

“I think I said this three or four years ago: if there’s anyone who can beat Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record of 894 goals, it’s Alex.”

Laviolette recognizes, though, that expecting a 37-year-old to score nearly 100 more goals — even someone as prolific as Ovechkin — is no easy task. 

“When you see what Alex does on a daily basis, I think anything is possible,” Laviolette said. “The way he plays. The way he scores. The way he shoots the puck. His love for the game. His passion and purpose for the game. Anything is possible.

“It’s going to take a lot, but I think they picked the right guy to try and knock it down.”