Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin is just eight goals shy of passing the legendary Gordie Howe for second on the NHL’s all-time goal-scoring list. After Howe, only Edmonton Oilers legend Gretzky at 894 career goals stands in his way.

With the Caps in Edmonton on Monday, current Oilers legend in the making Connor McDavid was asked about Ovechkin’s record-breaking ways. The 25-year-old phenom was very complimentary.

“It’s pretty remarkable,” McDavid said. “Gordie Howe, you just say his name and you know what it means to the game of hockey and he’s about to pass him. It’s a credit to him and everything he’s done and accomplished. It’s a pretty amazing feat.

“He loves to score,” Mcdavid continued. “I think everyone does but maybe he’s on another level. He’s got such a nose for the net. He just seems to know where to be. That’s a great gift to have and obviously, he shoots the puck so well. I think that’s the main thing. When he gets a chance he doesn’t need much time or much space. He can get it away in a hurry and pick his spot. It’s really, really crazy to see.”

Ovechkin’s Capitals team would go on to down McDavid’s Oilers for the second time this season. Ovechkin did not tally in the 3-2 victory but McDavid picked up a shorthanded breakaway marker in the losing effort.

One player that did get on the board for the Caps was TJ Oshie, who slammed home a power-play tally in the second period just after McDavid had given the man-down Oilers a 2-1 lead.

Timothy Jimothy 😍 pic.twitter.com/8LSfKs5gYJ

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) December 6, 2022

Oshie remarked pregame on his captain’s abilities that he says no one else in hockey history can compare to.

“As far as a pure sniper, a pure goal scorer, I’ve never seen the puck come off of anyone’s blade like it comes off of Ovi’s,” Oshie said. “His strength, his curve, his ability to get it off, and how tight his hands are together is insane. You have to be pretty strong to use that short of a stick and have that much power. O is number one in my mind.

“I think he just wants to score more than anyone else,” Oshie continued. “And he has the ability to do it. He has the size to put himself in positions around the net where people can’t handle him. He’s got the vision. He can skate when he wants to. But, ultimately, his desire to score and for the team to score goals, in general, is just higher than anyone I’ve ever seen.”

So, who does McDavid have in the all-time greatest goal scorer competition? He hedged his bets a bit and didn’t commit either way.

“Wayne was so creative and so good with the puck and scored goals so many different ways,” McDavid said. “It’s really cool to look back and see how he went about it. The numbers Wayne put up it would be hard to argue against him.

“But it’s tough to kind of gauge the history of hockey, the different eras,” he finished. “The game was played a little differently throughout those eras. Offense is on the up a little bit recently, but there were a lot of years where offense was hard to come by and (Ovi) was still finding ways to score 50 and 60 goals. It’s hard to gauge – but two incredible players.”

McDavid’s assertion about Ovechkin’s consistency across different “eras” in the NHL is spot on. No player in the history of the league has led the league in scoring more times than Ovechkin who has done so nine times over his career. In comparison, the last two players in front of him on the all-time list in Gordie Howe and Wayne Gretzky only accomplished that feat five times apiece.

That is proven even further when referencing Hockey Reference’s ‘NHL & WHA Career Leaders and Records for Adjusted Goals’. On that list, Ovechkin at 922 goals has already passed Gretzky (758) and is only four goals shy of topping Howe (925) for the all-time lead.

S/T to The Edmonton Sun’s Robert Tychkowski

Headline photo: Adam Kubaryk