Yahoo Sports On A Historic Run Unlike Any Other, Alex Ovechkin Refuses To Take Spotlight, Passes On Question About Pursuit Of Wayne Gretzky
WASHINGTON — As Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin chases greatness and a record once thought to be impossible, he finds himself in the spotlight on the path to 895 career goals — but he refuses to bask in it.
Ovechkin is 23 goals away from passing Wayne Gretzky for the most goals in NHL history and scored again in a wild 7-4 victory over the New York Rangers. Postgame, he was asked — as was to be expected — about how fast he could get the record, and with a smile, stood up and chose not to take the question.
"Thank you, guys," he said as he headed back toward the showers.
The 39-year-old has 19 goals on the season and four in his last five games since returning from a broken leg that held him out for a month and change.
"To be honest with you, I feel every game better," Ovechkin said. "Touches, skating wise. I'll take it and move on."
Right now, Ovechkin is on pace to finish the year with 54 goals, which would have him not only passing Gretzky but hitting the 900 mark as well.
It's no secret that Ovechkin loves to score goals; just watch him break out into celebration, reacting to each shot that finds twine as if it were the first goal he ever scored. And while he's certainly enjoying his "GR8 Chase," it's clear he cares more about his team's overall success.
When asked if he's having fun in his pursuit of Gretzky, Ovechkin chose to highlight his team's success rather than speaking about himself. Washington sits atop the Eastern Conference standings and ranks second in the league with 55 points.
"Winning is always fun," Ovechkin said. "When you winning, you have an unbelievable mood in the locker room and what you said, a great mood as well. When you winning, it feels pretty good."
Ovechkin and the Capitals will be back in action on Monday against the Buffalo Sabres, and though he doesn't want to highlight himself, his teammates continue to watch in awe as he continues his pursuit.
"Obviously, he's an all-time great," Andrew Mangiapane said. "Seeing his every day kind of lifestyle and seeing him on the ice every time he scores, it's a great kind of feeling... it pumps up everybody on our bench."
