Ovi rated on a weekly basis: The record will be hard to break this season

Alex Ovechkin is chasing Wayne Gretzky’s record for most career goals in the National Hockey League.

He got one step closer to his goal last night, scoring twice against André Tourigny’s team… before injuring himself in the process.

Watching the footage, it was clear he was in pain as he struggled to get off the ice:

Alex Ovechkin is slow to get up after colliding knee-to-knee with Jack McBain. pic.twitter.com/gQNOiDMcPR

– Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 19, 2024

Of course, everyone thought the same thing.

I can’t believe this is happening at the worst possible time!

It’s true that the timing isn’t ideal and that’s why we were waiting to see what the Capitals would say about him.

Now we have more details, as the team announced on Twitter that #8 has a leg injury and will meet with team doctors tomorrow for further tests.

In the tweet, the Capitals announce that their captain will be evaluated on a weekly basis :

INJURY UPDATE: Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin sustained an injury to his lower leg during last night’s game in Utah, and is listed as week to week. Ovechkin will have further evaluation with team physicians in DC on Wednesday.

– CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) November 19, 2024

You’d think he’d have avoided the worst because he’s injured his leg, not his knee.

Usually, a knee injury can take much longer to heal.

But you still have to wonder if Ovechkin’s record-breaking run is in jeopardy… At least for this year.

We all want to see him break Wayne Gretzky’s mark (even the players want to see Ovi achieve the feat , according to a poll by The Athletic), but he won’t be able to do it if he’s injured.

And if he misses too many games, the record will be hard (if not impossible) to come by this season.

He’s still 27 goals away from beating Gretzky…

It’s a shame, because since the start of the season, Ovechkin has been scoring at an insane rate (15 goals in 18 games).

If he’d kept up the momentum, he might have broken Gretzky’s record… Even if he played fewer games than La Merveille:

Forget just breaking Gretzky’s record-Ovi’s chase has a new twist. Can he do it in fewer games than The Great One?

Gretzky: 894 goals in 1,487GP
Ovechkin: 866 goals in 1,443GP

If he scores 29 more in the next 44 games, he’ll hit 895 in fewer games. Absolute madness.

– Dan Riccio (@danriccio_) November 18, 2024

Let’s hope his injury isn’t too serious and that he’ll be able to return to action quickly.

Because to see him score goals at an insane rate and to see him celebrate each one with enthusiasm, knowing that he’s closing in on the ultimate record, is unique… And we may never see that again in NHL history.

Overtime

– He looks happy to be back.

Hi Raf #GoRocket pic.twitter.com/M3VjXqVO1r

– Rocket de Laval (@RocketLaval) November 19, 2024

– Good question.

Why hasn’t the NHL given Juraj Slafkovsky an assist on the Brendan Gallagher goal yet?

pic.twitter.com/I3liljoYI9

– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) November 19, 2024

– Classic.

Canada’s team of the hour?

The London Knights, yes, them again.

11 wins in a row: 50 goals scored, 24 allowed.

Their power play is running at a 31.7% efficiency rate, the highest in the country along with the BLB Armada. #QMJHL

– Mikaël Lalancette (@MikLalancette) November 19, 2024

– Mathieu Joseph will be left out tonight.

Bannister on Mathieu Joseph/Sundqvist being scratched tonight: “I mean it’s a coaching decision. My conversations with them, I’ll just keep it to us.” #stlblues

– Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) November 19, 2024