Wayne Gretzky leaves no doubt on Alexander Ovechkin's NHL goal record chase after Capitals star's injury

Wayne Gretzky stands atop the NHL's all-time goals scored list, but Alexander Ovechkin is not far behind. The Washington Capitals star's journey to immortality took a hit on Monday when the player suffered an injury, but he's still likely to eventually break Gretzky's record.

When he does, which even Gretzky believes is a better phrase than "if he does," the legendary NHL star hopes to be there to congratulate Ovechkin. He said on CNBC Television's "Squawk Box" on Thursday (2:00):

"I'm very proud of what I achieved with the 894. Nothing can take anything away from that, but Alex (Ovechkin) has been exceptional for our game and the Capitals so I hope I'm the first guy to shake his hand when he does break the record."

He also said that he's good friends with Ovechkin, so he has no qualms about seeing his record fall. Gretzky said it's the natural progression for someone to come along and do more than he did, and he always expected Ovechkin to pass his 894 goals.

Ovechkin has 868 career goals, but a shin injury will see the star on the bench for a few weeks. He was on pace to break the record in March this season, but he may have to settle for the 2025-2026 NHL season if he can't get back on the ice soon.

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Wayne Gretzky never aimed for records in NHL as Alexander Ovechkin closes in

Wayne Gretzky, heralded by many as the greatest hockey player ever, never really tried to set records, he claimed. He owns numerous, though some of them are at risk of falling to players like Alexander Ovechkin and others.

Wayne Gretzky never purposefully tried to set records in hockey (Imagn)

He said via NBC Sports:

“I never played and thought about the records themselves. I was lucky enough to play on some great teams and in some great cities. I always tell people it was an honor and a privilege to play in the National Hockey League."

Gretzky was just competitive and wanted to do well, admitting that if he scored two goals in a game, he wanted to get a third no matter what. He ended up amassing almost 900 goals, though. That's a number that it's taken Alexander Ovechkin 20 years to get close.