“Alexander Ovechkin has proven many times that he knows how to come back” – Kommersant FM
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Alexander Ovechkin has surpassed Wayne Gretzky’s achievement. We are talking about the record for goals in an empty net. The famous Canadian scored 56 such goals in his career, and Ovechkin scored his 57th empty net goal in the Washington Capitals’ 3-0 win over the Boston Bruins. Ovechkin has 60 goals left before Gretzky’s main record for the most goals in a career. Is this a lot or a little, Kommersant FM sports commentator Vladimir Osipov figured out.
What is 60 goals for Alexander Ovechkin? It would seem like nothing. In one of his best seasons in the NHL, he scored 65. But now the Russian hockey player is 38 years old, and this is only his 12th goal in the current regular season. At the same time, the star player’s contract with the Washington Capitals runs until the end of the season, which ends in 2026. That is, Alexander has two full seasons ahead, and this one is not completed yet. Although Washington could easily be left without the playoffs. So it’s too early to say that Ovechkin will definitely get the famous Canadian and break the record of all time, which is an incredible 894 goals. It’s not for nothing that the Russian tries to avoid answering journalists’ questions about the record.
At the same time, you need to understand that even if Washington extends the contract with the player in 2026, the amount of this agreement, of course, will be much more modest than what Ovechkin is paid now. At the moment, Ovi’s salary is $9.5 million per year, not counting advertising contracts and additional income that the business brings. But it is quite possible that if Ovechkin does not reach the required number of goals scored in the remaining time, the club will still agree to extend the Russian’s contract so that Gretzky’s record will still fall.
Hockey analyst Igor Larin has no doubt that this will happen: “Alexander knows perfectly well all the pitfalls of North American sports. They will do business on it, but they will attack it very harshly. At 38 years old, it’s very difficult to score those dozens of goals that are left for him to reach Gretzky’s greatest record. And the political aspect will play a role. But, knowing Ovechkin, his subtle understanding of American technology, I think that somewhere deep in his soul he smiled and went after Gretzky’s record.”
And the fact that Ovechkin’s current season, to put it mildly, is not the most successful, can hardly be a serious argument for those who do not believe in the Russian hockey player. He has proven many times that he can come back. And now, despite his serious age for hockey, Ovi has the opportunity to score a lot. The main thing is not to think about the record, says Sergei Fedrov, who himself played more than one season overseas: “We don’t become young from year to year. The NHL is a very strong league.
I think Sasha has all the ingredients to just continue to play well. I’m sure he won’t worry too much about it and will just keep scoring for however many years he can play in this league.”
Ovechkin’s contract with Washington will end when the player turns 40 years old. But in the history of the NHL, even in recent history, there are examples when hockey players played until they were 45, such as Jaromir Jagr or Zdeno Chara. By the way, Igor Larionov ended his NHL career at 43 years old. So, perhaps, in order to become the one and only, Ovechkin has much more time than many people think.
Everything is clear with us – Telegram channel “Kommersant FM”.
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