Ovechkin, 39, entered the season 42 short of breaking Gretzky's career record of 894 goals. The Russian, in his 20th NHL season, was on pace to get to 895 in February before breaking his left leg in a shin-on-shin collision in November. He missed 16 games but resumed his pursuit after the Christmas break.

Ovechkin did not score in the Capitals' 4–1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. However, he moved within 21 goals of passing Gretzky with No. 874 in his career after scoring the game-winner in overtime against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday. The goal was his 21st this season.

Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals is closing in on the NHL career goals record of 894 held by Wayne Gretzky. Ovechkin has 873 goals and needs 22 to set a new record.

Entering the 2024-25 season, Ovechkin needed 42 goals to break Gretzky’s record of 894 career tallies. After scoring goal No. 874 on January 16, Ovechkin now needs just 21 goals to pass Gretzky for the NHL’s record.

Ovechkin is now just the second player in NHL history, joining Gordie Howe, to hit 20 goals in 20 consecutive seasons. He is now two 20-goal campaigns away from the most in NHL history, a record still held by Howe.

So what are the best options when it comes to Ovechkin trading cards? Here are our picks. Ovechkin’s 2005 Upper Deck Young Guns #443 rookie card is my best recommendation based on its established popularity,