Ovechkin battles with eternity. What records the Russian NHL legend storms?

Alexander Ovechkin is arguably the world's top hockey player today. Perhaps there are no less bright hockey players today. There are others whose stats are just as impressive. But Ovechkin is a man who not only shows results today, but also battles with eternity. Who is storming through hockey's seemingly immutable achievements. So what records does the Russian leader of the Washington Capitals seek to conquer?

1. Wayne Gretzky's record for the most goals in the NHL.

This is probably the most prestigious achievement in the league. North Americans only count pucks scored in the regular season - not including playoffs. Gretzky has 894 of those. He scored them at a time when hockey was different. In addition, the team always worked for the great Canadian, and the opposing defensemen were afraid to attack him roughly: anyone who dared to break the legend could be given a hard time not only on the ice but also in the press. Ovechkin was treated with far less deference by his opponents, and in addition he was a more versatile hockey player than Gretzky: sometimes Alexander even threw himself against pucks flying into the Washington gate.

That makes it all the more surprising that this pursuit has come about at all. Ovechkin now has 780 pucks, while Gretzky has 894. Gordie Howe is positioned between them with 801 accurate shots. The 114 pucks difference is a lot, and it seems like Ovechkin's 36 years as well, but he has scored 50 times this season and has no plans to grow old. At least this season he has his best scoring output in the last twelve years - the envy of the youngsters.

2. Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy's record for the most seasons with 50 pucks.

Ovechkin has already caught up with the two great Canadiens just the other day - they managed to "break the fifty" in nine career seasons. It's very difficult - not everyone has a long NHL career, not everyone is injury-free, not everyone has good partners who are willing to assist a lot. Ovechkin is lucky so far and could become the all-time record holder as early as next season.

3. Wayne Gretzky's record for games with two pucks.

Gretzky again - he has scored at least two pucks in 189 career games. Ovechkin is now in second place, which he shares with Brett Hull: he has 158 such games under his belt. Gretzky will be difficult to catch up with, because Washington's game is not tailored to Ovechkin alone.

4. Jaromir Jagr's record for the number of affected goaltenders.

The statistics in the NHL are so powerful that almost everything is counted - including the number of goaltenders a particular hockey player has scored for. Ovechkin has forced 160 goaltenders to take pucks out of the gate during his seventeen-year overseas career - the other day, Logan Thompson of the Vegas Golden Knights became the jubilee.

This achievement depends not only on the longevity of the forward, but also on the turnover rate of the teams. Ovechkin still ranks fourth, behind Marc Messier (164), Patrick Marleau (177) and Jaromir Jagr (178).

5. Jaromir Jagr's record for opening scores in games.

Ovechkin is always up for the challenge, and he has often been the one to score the first puck in a game. It happened 131 times - the Russian shares second place with Brett Hull, and leader Jaromir Jagr has only four more games.