OK, so it’s not Alex Ovechkin vs. Connor McDavid at Rogers Place on Tuesday.
The Edmonton Oilers superstar was suspended for three games following a stick-wielding kerfuffle in the dying seconds of their previous one against the Vancouver Canucks, and likely won’t be available Tuesday against the visiting Washington Capitals.
It’s a shame, too, considering there won’t be many more chances to see him on the ice at the same time as one of the living legends of the game, the venerable Alexander Ovechkin.
At 39 years young, the Moscow native has been nothing short of a monster in the NHL, and not simply because of tipping the scales at a full six-foot-two, 238 pounds of lean, mean offensive mayhem.
His numbers on the stats sheet have been even more incredible since breaking into the league in 2005-’06, and they’re about to get even better.
HEAD TO HEAD
Sadly, Ovechkin’s debut came seven years after Wayne Gretzky had already retired, leaving the only way to see them on the ice together now being virtually, through a showcase of EA Sports NHL 20, featuring The Great One vs. The Great 8.
While the two squared off in the digital arena from the comfort of their own couches to raise funds for COVID-19 relief, there is now something much more real on the line between the two. Something timeless.
Or, at least it was originally thought to be. This time it’s the Great 8 vs. the Great One’s legacy, as Ovechkin continues to close in on Gretzky’s NHL record for goals scored.
In Edmonton, of all places, which doesn’t only mark hallowed ground in the hockey world, but the very spot Gretzky helped put on the real-world map five decades ago.
BROKEN RECORD?
First of all, there hasn’t been a player in NHL history with enough points to surpass Gretzky’s all-time assists total alone (1,963) — with a mulleted nod, of course, to Jaromir Jagr, who, at 52 years old, continues to lace ’em up as an owner/player with Rytíři Kladno of the Czech Extraligua, back in his home country. He scored 1,921 points while playing nearly 300 more games.
So, that one’s safe for now, let alone Gretzky’s points record (2,857). Maybe for all time?
But his record for goals scored (894)? That’s up for grabs before our very eyes.
OVIE THE MOON
Ovechkin comes to Edmonton currently tied for 15th in goals this season, with 21 in 30 games played, including seven in 12 games since returning from a broken leg that held him out for 40 days.
He is truly a man on a mission.
While Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl leads that illustrious category, with 33 goals in 46 games, it goes without saying Ovechkin leads all active players with 874 goals — just 20 shy of Gretzky’s mark.
Some quick math shows at an incredible 0.7 goals-per-game pace, if Ovechkin continues at this rate he could score as many as 25 more over Washington’s 46 remaining games. That would make it 899. This year.
So, it’s simply a matter of time, it seems.
But hold the phone. Last week, Ovechkin already broke an NHL goal-scoring record, this one for the most goaltenders scored on.
He beat Leevi Merilainen in a 1-0 overtime win over the Ottawa Senators to make him Ovechkin’s 179th goalie victim (and break a tie with the aforementioned Jagr at 178).
FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH
At this point, Ovechkin almost appears ageless.
“It’s incredible what he’s been able to do. He had a short period of time where you’re thinking his career is kind of on the tail end. It wasn’t a very long stretch and he silenced that in a hurry,” said Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch. “And put up goals last year and this year and he just finds a way.
“Playing against that type of player, you can’t give him any space, you can’t relax for a moment because if you do, that’s where he’s going to make you pay.”
ONE BIG DIFFERENCE
There is one big difference when it comes to the Ovechkin/Gretzky debate that goes beyond individual goals, points or other accolades.
Gretzky won four Stanley Cups with the Oilers back in the dynasty days of the 1980s. Ovechkin has one, after leading the Capitals to the Promised Land in 2018.
But the point isn’t who has more. There are plenty of factors that go into a player winning championships that go well beyond themselves. The key is they have both drank from the Cup and tasted ultimate victory, cementing their legacy for all time beyond any and all statistical numbers.
Just ask any member of the current Oilers roster, suspended or otherwise, how much that would mean to them.
E-mail: [email protected]
On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge