Oilers Make Gesture, Let Ovechkin Try On Gretzky's Game-Used Gear As Capitals Captain Chases All-Time Goals Record

As Alex Ovechkin chases down Wayne Gretzky's all-time NHL goals record, the Edmonton Oilers made quite a gesture toward the Washington Capitals captain.

Ovechkin and the Capitals are visiting Edmonton for the first game of a lengthy Canadian road swing, and with No. 8 in town, the Oilers opened the glass cases at the Oilers Hall of Fame in Rogers Place, which features Gretzky's game-used gear from his time with Edmonton. There, they let Ovechkin try on Gretzky's gloves and hold his stick and jersey.

Ovechkin has long respected Gretzky as he continues his quest toward the record once thought to be impossible, and the 39-year-old also has a game-used stick from Gretzky in his evergrowing collection. He was gifted Gretzky's stick in 2018 after meeting "The Great One's" condition of winning a Stanley Cup first.

Gretzky played with Edmonton from 1979 to 1988, winning four Stanley Cups and scoring 583 of his 894 career goals. He was then traded to the Los Angeles Kings and also had stints with the St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers before hanging up the skates in 1999.

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Ovechkin currently sits 21 goals away from breaking Gretzky's all-time goals record. He is on pace to break that record in April, and if he keeps up that current scoring pace, he'll also hit 900 career NHL goals, becoming the only NHL player in history to reach that mark.

Through 30 games this season, Ovechkin has 21 goals. He became the second player in NHL history to record 20 consecutive 20-goal seasons, and he also recently broke the record for the most goaltenders scored on all time.