THE GR8 GOAL WATCH

Ovechkin’s slow start last season raised some doubts, but after a second-half surge, the only question is whether Ovi will break the all-time goal mark this campaign or next

BY JARED CLINTON

IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN the time in early February when Alex Ovechkin, from his office atop the left-wing circle, hammered a carbon-copy one-timer past Sergei Bobrovsky. Or perhaps it was Ovechkin’s two-goal game against the New Jersey Devils near the end of the same month. For the skeptic, maybe it took until the slick deke he tucked home – his second marker of a pair of tallies and eighth in five games – against the Winnipeg Jets in late March. But at some point, the conversation surrounding ‘The Great Eight’ and his pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record of 894 goals transformed from a question of “if” to one of “when.” Make no mistake, there were doubts through a significant portion of last season, almost entirely spurred by Ovechkin’s eight-goal production…

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The Hockey News (Digital) - 1 Issue, Meet The New Guys 2024

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