Alex Ovechkin is only 6 goals away from Wayne Gretzky’s record, thanks to goalie Marc-Andre Fleury

TOI Sports Desk / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Updated: Mar 29, 2025, 18:40 IST

Text Size

Small
Medium
Large

Marc-Andre Fleury reflects on the goals he conceded to Alexander Ovechkin and lauds Ovechkin's chance to break Wayne Gretzky's scoring record. Ovechkin, with 889 career goals, is just six goals away from Gretzky's 894. Fleury believes Ovechkin, still competitive at 39 years old, will break the record despite past injuries.

Alex Ovechkin is only 6 goals away from Wayne Gretzky’s record, thanks to goalie Marc-Andre Fleury

(Image via Getty Images: Alex Ovechkin)

“I think I gave him a bit of a boost. Ovi (Alex Ovechkin) scored a lot of goals against me. I know I’m the one he’s scored the most goals against. But on the flip side, I’m happy to have played so many games against him. There was such a great rivalry with the Caps and with Ovi.” Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury poured his heart out with LNH.com. (PS: LNH is the French version of NHL).

What an ulterior level of sportsmanship here. Goaltender Fleury is not unhappy about the 28 goals he gave up but happy for the 28 goals he gave to Russian professional ice hockey left winger and captain for the Washington Capitals, Alexander Ovechkin! Ovechkin is getting closer than ever to Wayne Gretzky now. The Great One with the undefeatable career NHL goals! 894!

Alex Ovechkin is at 889, just 6 career NHL goals away from Wayne Gretzky, The Great One’s 894

Alexander Ovechkin got 28 goals from Marc-Andre Fleury, goaltender of the Minnesota Wild, 24 goals from Henrik Lundqvist, goaltender of the New York Rangers, 22 goals from Carey Price, goaltender of the Montreal Canadiens, and 22 goals from Kari Lehtonen, goaltender of the Dallas Stars - taking Ovechkin’s total to 889! Just 6 career NHL goals away from Wayne Gretzky, The Great One, the highest career NHL goals scorer’s score of 894!

It was on March 29, 1999, when Wayne Gretzky scored his highest career NHL goal for any NHL player - the 894th goal! March is almost over now, will Alex Ovechkin, too, score the highest career NHL goal for any NHL player in April 2025? Precisely, 26 years from Wayne Gretzky’s record-breaking score.

Will Alex Ovechkin break Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894 in the remaining 11 NHL games?

Once again, we see the fiery spirit of sportsmanship of Marc-Andre Fleury come into play here. Fleury shared with LNH.com, “I think he(Alex Ovechkin)’s going to break the record this year. He reminds me of young Ovi(Alex Ovechkin). He’s really hungry. He wants to score goals. He’s so happy after his goals. Without his injury, he would have finished the season with 50 goals, it’s incredible! He always plays with his foot on the gas. He’s a tremendous competitor! He’s still as dangerous as ever at 39 years old! He missed several games with a broken leg, but he hasn’t slowed down since his return. He’s still on fire!”
How ironic: Alex Ovechkin failed to score a goal in the last game of goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury! Last game that Fleury would share on the ice with Ovechkin! 40 YO Marc-Andre Fleury is set to retire at the end of this 2024-2025 NHL season.
Alex Ovechkin gathered everyone from the Washington Capitals and paid tribute to goaltender Marc-Andrew Fleury by making everyone shake hands with him. Alex Ovechkin was the first one on the line!
Also Read: Not Alex Ovechkin, but Sidney Crosby breaks Wayne Gretzky's record | NHL News - The Times of India

Get the latest IPL 2025 updates on Times of India, including match schedules, team squads, points table and IPL live score for CSK, MI, RCB, KKR, SRH, LSG, DC, GT, PBKS, and RR. Don't miss the list of players in the race for IPL Orange Cap and IPL Purple cap.

About the Author

TOI Sports Desk

The TOI Sports Desk excels in a myriad of roles that capture the essence of live sporting events and deliver compelling content to readers worldwide. From running live blogs for India and non-India cricket matches to global spectacles featuring Indian talents, like the Chess World Cup final featuring Praggnanandhaa and the Badminton World Championships semifinal featuring HS Prannoy, our live coverage extends to all mega sporting events. We extensively cover events like the Olympics, Asian Games, Cricket World Cups, FIFA World Cups, and more. The desk is also adept at writing comprehensive match reports and insightful post-match commentary, complemented by stats-based articles that provide an in-depth analysis of player performances and team dynamics. We track news wires for key stories, conduct exclusive player interviews in both text and video formats, and file content from print editions and reporters. We keep track of all viral stories, trending topics and produce our own copies on the subjects. We deliver accurate, engaging, and up-to-the-minute sports content, round the clock.

End of Article