Alexander Ovechkin has scored in every way but one…

Alexander Ovechkin made his mark in the 2000s and 2010s and will continue to do so in the 2020s, even as he approaches 40.

He is 72 goals short of Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record of 894 goals.

To score 822 in your career, you have to have found the back of the net in more ways than one.

Although Ovi made his name with his wrist shot and his desk shot, he scored in more ways than one.

In fact, he has scored every type of goal in his career. All but one: the spinning behind the net to surprise the goalkeeper, more commonly known as “wraparound”.

Alex Ovechkin is closing on Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record, and the Capitals captain has scored on almost every single shot there is.

Almost. There’s one he hasn’t scored on yet. More on that, his 822 goals and how they’ve been scored. #ALLCAPS https://t.co/OaIQdLPHxf

– Sammi Silber 🏒 (@sammisilber) July 28, 2023

I’m surprisingly surprised by this news. I figured he must have scored that way, but he missed all eight chances to do so in his prolific career.

He’s scored a few similar goals by rounding the keeper and giving himself a certain angle to get a wrist shot off, but he’s never done it from behind the net.

Impressively, Ovechkin has scored 277 goals with a wrist shot since 2009, when the tracking of goal types began.

He also leads the NHL in power-play goals with 299.

His next man-advantage goal will push him past the 300 plateau.

Another majestic fact in his career is the number of times he shoots on net. Yes, it takes a great shot to score that many goals, but consistently putting the puck on net gives you a much better chance of scoring.

His 6,355 career shots also place him at the top of the all-time record in this regard.

Ovi is undoubtedly the best marksman since Mario Lemieux, and if he beats Gretzky’s record, he’ll have to be considered the best goal scorer of all time.

It’s a pity Lemieux has been unlucky with all sorts of health problems, but Ovechkin could achieve the unattainable by beating Gretzky and his goal-scoring record.

Two seasons should be enough for the Russian to reach that legendary mark, and possibly more if he stays healthy.

In gusto

– Definitely worth a read.

– The New Zealander carded a 68.

– Shame.

– Warning.

– To listen.

“He makes his linemates so much better with his field hockey sense. His field hockey sense is absolutely through the roof.”

Leo Carlsson is going to bring some high field hockey IQ to the @AnaheimDucks. @TonyLuftman | @MikeKellyNHL | #FlyTogether | #NHLTonight pic.twitter.com/yGcxGkfTKk

– NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) July 29, 2023