Mitch Marner makes his feelings known about Alex Ovechkin inching closer to Wayne Gretzky's NHL goal record

Washington Capitals captain and future Hall of Famer Alex Ovechkin is on the cusp of history, as he's eight goals away from tying Wayne Gretzky for the title of the NHL's greatest goal scorer.

His accomplishments have already drawn significant praise from his hockey peers, and now Mitch Marner of the Toronto Maple Leafs is making his thoughts known.

Before the Toronto Maple Leafs took on the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night in Toronto, Marner explained that it was "spectacular" to watch Ovechkin drive toward the new goals record.

(5:15 onwards)

"I don't know the right wording, but it's spectacular to watch," Marner said. "It’s really cool. I think a lot of people thought that record would never be broken or that a lot of Gretzky’s records would never be touched. For him to only be eight back, it’s pretty insane realistically. I watched a lot of his highlights growing up, and what he does with the goal-scoring aspect is unbelievable."

Gretzky himself has fully endorsed Alex Ovechkin's pursuit of breaking his own record and has even said openly that he hopes to be among the first to congratulate Ovechkin on the accomplishment when it inevitably happens.

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Mitch Marner also acknowledged that it's no picnic having to play against Ovechkin

Alex Ovechkin is as much a physical threat as he is to opposition goaltenders, considering his penchant for heavy body checks.

Marner, who has faced Ovechkin numerous times throughout his career, including a postseason matchup in 2017, explained that facing a double threat like Ovechkin is no small task.

"That's exactly right — he's a bulldozer," Marner said. (5:44) "It was a pretty surreal moment, first playoff series against that team and that powerhouse they had in Washington."

"Yeah, he's a big man out there, he gets around the ice well, gets the puck on and off his stick well. He doesn’t need much time to get it off, and that’s what makes him one of, if not the best, goal scorers of all time."

What Alex Ovechkin is accomplishing in his late 30s is remarkable, especially considering that he missed over a month of action this season after breaking his leg.

He was back skating on the ice weeks later and eventually returned far earlier than anyone could have anticipated on Dec. 28, 2024. Since then, Ovechkin hasn't missed a beat, continuing at his regular scoring pace.

Time is running out in the regular season for Alex Ovechkin to make NHL history by catching or surpassing Gretzky, but that could quickly be taken care of in the first few weeks of the 2025-26 season.