MAJOR | NHL Legend Alexander Ovechkin announces the date of his retirement
Up to this point, only one player has come close to the record currently held by Wayne Gretzky regarding regular season goals. The Great One scored 894 goals throughout his career, and the Great Eight now has 836.
Viewed as one of the best, if not the best, goal scorers to ever play the game, Ovechkin is aging, and concern is rising regarding his ability to score the 58 goals he needs to reach Gretzky's record. Massive news broke out when a reporter asked Ovy when he planned on retiring and identified his current deal as the end of his professional hockey career.
The Caps' blog RMNB shared an extract for this particular interview:
«I think, yes,» Ovechkin said as translated via Google Translate.
Ovechkin had, up until now, always kept the door open for a possible return to the KHL once he'd done in the NHL. However, for the first time, he stated that he wasn't considering returning to his native country and would be fully retired by the end of 2026.
As stated, Ovechkin now has 834 goals through 1397 regular season games. The Capitals still have 29 games on their calendar; given that he plays the entirety of the next two seasons, Ovy would have to score 59 goals through 193 games to become the NHL's best scorer ever.
Given that he'll keep up his current pace (14 in 50), he should end the season with 22 goals in 79 games, his lowest career total, leaving him with 51 goals to score through the next two seasons.
CREDIT: Oilers Daily
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