"I emphatically hope not" "Too old, too obnoxious": NHL fans predict if Alex Ovechkin can break Wayne Gretzky's all-time goal record next season

NHL fans on the internet predicted whether Alex Ovechkin will surpass Wayne Gretzky's all-time goal record in the upcoming 2024-25 season. Ovechkin, drafted first overall in the 2004 NHL draft by the Washington Capitals, is preparing for his 20th season in the league.

Currently boasting an impressive 853 goals, Ovi will need to score 42 goals to break Gretzky's legendary 894-goal record.

The anticipation is high as fans eagerly await to see if Alex Ovechkin can achieve this monumental feat in the upcoming season. Here's what fans have to opine on X/Twitter, as one tweeted.

"I emphatically hope not"

"Too old and too obnoxious," opined another X user.

Here are some of the other top opinions from fans to the post on X:

"Ovie, got off to a miserable start last year, the power play was dreadful, the caps improved their goal scoring capabilities in the off season, I think Ovie ends up with 35-40 goals, he'll be a few short at the end of this upcoming season," another tweeted.

"It would have to be nuts to get it done this year, next one fore sure. He gets about 35 this year," one X user wrote.

"He did have a down year last year. I think he is going to go back to being him. I think it’s gonna be next year when he eventually breaks it," one commented.

"If he stays healthy and plays all 82 games he’s got a real chance. But I’d guess he plays about 75 games and scores about 35 goals," opined another.

Alex Ovechkin does not like preseason and training demands

In a recent interview with sports.ru, Alex Ovechkin candidly expressed his disdain for preseason training. The Caps veteran made it clear that he struggles with the rigorous demands of training and the repetitive cycle of workouts and rest periods.

"I hate preseason,” Ovechkin said. “I really hate it. I don’t like to just train. This is the hardest thing. Imagine, you arrived after your vacation, you have a tan, everything is fine, you’re happy. And your coach calls you and says, ‘Well, Sash? Tomorrow we begin training.’ You go to training, then rest, then another training session. I hate it, I can’t stand it," Ovi said (as translated to English by RMNB).

Ovi netted 31 goals in the 2023-24 NHL season and is reportedly dealing with a knee issue that saw him miss the farewell game for Sergei Mozyakin on Saturday. But the Washington Capitals captain is expected to start full training in 10 days.