ARLINGTON, Va. -- Alex Ovechkin has learned talk about his chase of Wayne Gretzky's NHL record of 894 goals is unavoidable.
With Ovechkin at 822 goals, the record is looming in the tantalizing distance, 72 away, but far enough from reach that he can push it to the backburner of his mind during his 19th NHL season, which begins when he and the Washington Capitals host longtime rival Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins at Capital One Arena on Friday (7:30 p.m. ET; ESPN+, Hulu, TVAS).
The 38-year-old left wing said his focus will be on helping the Capitals return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs after they failed to qualify last season for the first time since 2014.
"I just want to play," Ovechkin told NHL.com of his approach to the goal record this season. "I just want to make the playoffs and then we'll see what's happened."
Ovechkin's NHL career-high for goals in a season is 65 in 2007-08, which wouldn't be enough to get to Gretzky this season, but given his track record, he should be in position to take a serious run at breaking the record next season.
He continued to defy his age last season, scoring 42 goals to lead Washington and break the NHL record he shared with Gretzky with his 13th 40-goal season.
Bet against him producing at a comparable level this season at your own risk.
"Every year, people wonder if this is the year that he's not going to be able to score," Capitals forward T.J. Oshie said. "I've learned for a while now I just don't doubt him anymore. I think he's going to be great like he always is, and I think he's going to lead us like he usually does and it's going to be another fun year."
Ovechkin had some fun moments last season. The Capitals captain became the third player to reach 800 goals by scoring a hat trick against the Chicago Blackhawks on Dec. 13 and scored 801 and 802 against the Winnipeg Jets on Dec. 23 to pass Gordie Howe (801 goals) for second in NHL history.
Ovechkin also shared a special moment with his 5-year-old son Sergei and Crosby when they teamed to win the Breakaway Challenge at the 2023 NHL All-Star Skills in Sunrise, Florida, on Feb. 3.
But the final two months of the season were challenging for Ovechkin and the Capitals (35-37-10), who were decimated by injuries and faded to finish 12 points behind the Florida Panthers for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference.
Physically, Ovechkin played through a lower-body injury, which he acknowledged at the start of training camp, hampered his performance. Mentally, he struggled following the death of his father Mikhail on Feb. 15.
"Last year was probably the toughest year of my life because of what happened with my dad, but it's life," Ovechkin said. "It happens to everyone, unfortunately. But from my standpoint, I just want to do my best this year to bounce back and help our team to make the playoffs. That's our goal."
Ovechkin longs for another shot at the Stanley Cup, which he helped the Capitals win for the first time in 2018. They haven't won a playoff series since, however, and the disappointment of last season has become a rallying point, as evidenced by the new "Something to prove." slogan on the walls of their locker rooms at Capital One Arena and MedStar Capitals Iceplex.
"We want to be in the playoffs. We want to fight for the Cup," Ovechkin said. "We want to feel that atmosphere and feel that intensity. Last year, lots of different reasons happened because of injuries and because we lost some points, but it's done. Nothing you can do right now, right? So, you just have to move on."
Crosby and the Penguins are in a similar position after missing the playoffs last season for the first time since 2006. Like Crosby, Ovechkin is driven to prove he remains one of the NHL's elite players and often elevates his play when facing the League's other stars, including Crosby.
They'll face each other Friday for the 66th time in the regular season since they each entered the NHL in 2005-06. Ovechkin, the No. 1 pick in the 2004 NHL Draft, has 63 points (34 goals, 29 assists) in the first 65 games between them. Crosby, the No. 1 pick in the 2005 draft, has 86 points (28 goals, 58 assists).
"You know it's a challenge," Ovechkin said. "It's the kind of situation when you want to do what you can do best. You play against the best players, and you have to show that you still can do it."
With 1,485 points (663 assists) in 1,347 regular-season games, Ovechkin is 15 away from joining Crosby (1,503) and 14 others in the NHL's 1,500-point club. His next power-play goal will be the 300th of his career, strengthening his hold on the NHL record he claimed when he surpassed Dave Andreychuk (274) two seasons ago.
Other milestones within reach this season include the NHL records for 30-goal seasons (tied with Mike Gartner with 17) and 50-goal seasons (tied with Mike Bossy and Gretzky with nine). There won't be the kind of spotlight on those he'll likely deal with game to game next season as he moves closer to goal No. 895, though.
"Milestones are milestones," Ovechkin said. "There's lots of talking about it, lots of media-wise and fans, but for us as players, we just go out there and do what we can."
Maybe there will be less talk this season about Ovechkin chasing Gretzky. Certainly, it won't be at the level of when he passed Howe last season or when he overtook Marcel Dionne (731) for fifth in goals, Brett Hull (741) for fourth and Jaromir Jagr (766) for third during the 2021-22 season.
But the record will still be there, dangling in the distance, no matter how much Ovechkin tries not to focus on it.
"I think it's kind of hard to not think about something like that," Capitals forward Dylan Strome said. "Maybe it will be a little less than last year because there's no 800 and he doesn't have to pass Gordie Howe anymore. I think when things like that aren't there, there's maybe a little bit less (attention), but also he's that much closer to history every time he scores."
And it's not like Ovechkin scoring goals and helping Washington get back to the playoffs are opposing objectives.
"I think it kind of goes hand in hand," Capitals forward Tom Wilson said. "If 'Ovi' is playing well and he's scoring goals, the team is going to have a good chance of winning. … As a teammate, you want him to chase history and keep doing that, and it's been milestone after milestone the last five years, but at the end of the day, the team is what matters.
"You'll never hear him say that the milestone is more important, and I don't think anyone else believes that. That being said, it's pretty cool what he's doing."
