Wayne Gretzky shares a spicy take on Alex Ovechkin breaking his record.
The Great One may be looking to put a little doubt in the mind of Alex Ovechkin.
Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin's chase for Wayne Gretzky's scoring record has been relatively tame up until this point, but on Monday The Great One threw a little spice into the mix when he commented on the possibility of his record being surpassed.
Gretzky's records were thought to be untouchable, and many of them will likely never be surpassed, but Ovechkin is making a very real push to break Gretzky's goal scoring record and could even conceivably do so this season. Ovechkin currently has 868 goals in the National Hockey League, not counting the Stanley Cup playoffs, which puts him only 26 goals behind the all-time record of 894 career goals currently held by Gretzky.
Ovechkin had 15 goals in his first 18 games of the regular season even though he has been sidelined by a serious leg injury, fracturing his leg in an unfortunately timed collision with Utah HC forward Jack McBain. Should Ovechkin maintain that incredible pace upon his return from injury, he could very well break the record this season.
Gretzky however, may not believe that will be the case.
Speaking on Monday, Gretzky indicated that he believes Ovechkin will likely get nervous down the stretch as he gets closer and closer to The Great One's record, with Gretzky indicating that Ovechkin is only human after all.
"He's human," said Gretzky. "He'll get nervous near the end."
Whether or not Gretzky's prediction will hold true remains to be seen especially when you consider that Ovechkin seemed to be thriving under the pressure of chasing the record this season. One thing I do know for certain is that all of us, Wayne Gretzky included, will be watching closely as Ovechkin draws ever closer to reaching the all-time mark.
