Tue, Apr 21, 2020 page16

• Ovechkin can break my record, Gretzky says

  • AP
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  Wayne Gretzky sees a lot of himself in Alex Ovechkin, from the smile on his face each time he steps on the ice to his passion for scoring goals.

  There are also differences, like Gretzky’s sole focus on the NHL growing up in Brantford, Ontario, versus Ovechkin’s upbringing in Moscow.

  “The Great One” believes the Washington Capitals captain has a good chance of breaking his all-time record of 894 goals that once seemed untouchable, depending on how long Ovechkin plays in the NHL.

  Gretzky speculated that Ovechkin could go home to Russia and finish his career in the Kontinental Hockey League.

  “Maybe one day in his mind he’ll say: ‘Look, I want to go home and play in the KHL when I can still compete at a high level,’” Gretzky said in a telephone interview on Sunday. “We don’t know that. That’s his decision, but I think he loves being in Washington, I think he loves the NHL and I think he’ll do everything he can at any point to chase down the record.”

  Ovechkin’s longevity and his pursuit of Gretzky’s record were among the topics they discussed in their first joint interview, which was to air yesterday on the NBC Sports Network.

  Ovechkin has 48 goals this season, tied for the league lead with Boston’s David Pastrnak, and if the regular season were to resume, he could match Gretzky and Mike Bossy with nine 50-goal seasons.

  If not, the time away and focus on the chase could drive Ovechkin to play long enough to break the record.

  “You really feel like this record is meaningful,” NHL chief content officer Steve Mayer said in a video interview. “I’ve got the feeling that if he’s close, he’s not going to go away so fast.”

  When asked how long he would play, Ovechkin has repeatedly referred to the one year remaining on his contract and said: “We’ll see.”

  He answered the same to NBC’s Kathryn Tappen during the hour-long special with Gretzky, adding: “I’m healthy, thanks God, and I still love this game. As soon as I’m not gonna love this game, I’m not gonna cheat on it because I respect it a lot.”

  Gretzky knows that feeling and was even offered a job to play in Russia in 1999 after his final NHL game. He respectfully declined.

  “All I remember was my mindset was there’s one league and if I’m not good enough for this league, I’m done,” Gretzky said. “I grew up, I’m an NHL guy and if I can’t play in the NHL, that’s it for me. He’s probably in a different scenario. He grew up in Russia and he’s proud of his country, and maybe it’ll be great for him to go home.”

  At 35, Ovechkin would likely need to play at least four more seasons to threaten the record, which Gretzky believes would be great for the game.

  Gretzky recalls his dad telling him his record would be broken one day, and hopes he would handle it with the same class and dignity Gordie Howe did when Gretzky surpassed him.

  “I can’t help but cheer and root for him each and every day,” Gretzky said. “I hope I’m the first guy who’s able to shake his hand when he does break my record.”
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