As Ovechkin Nears Gretzky Goals Record, How Will NHL Capitalize?

March traditionally has been all about college basketball, but next month, hockey will also be taking center stage thanks to the GR8 Chase. 

The pursuit of the NHL’s all-time goals scored record by Capitals superstar Alexander Ovechkin, already a key late-season storyline for the league, took another big step forward Sunday with the Russian netting a hat trick against the Oilers—last year’s Western Conference champion and again a Stanley Cup contender. Ovechkin is now just 13 goals away from breaking the career mark of 894 held by Wayne Gretzky and long thought to be untouchable.

The 39-year-old Ovechkin, however, continues to find new levels of consistency and excellence—especially given his age and the fact he missed five weeks earlier this season with a broken fibula. 

“You can’t write this stuff,” said Capitals coach Spencer Carbery. “You can’t write a story and a book of what he’s doing right now. The goals he’s scoring … massive goals against the Stanley Cup finalists from last year, as good a team as there is in the league. It’s just incredible.”

Betting odds currently point to Ovechkin breaking the record in early April, in the final games of the regular season. His accelerating pace with seven goals in his last seven games, however, has made the Capitals’ two remaining February games and 14 more in March of heightened interest.

Several of the team’s final regular-season games are already set for national broadcast on ESPN or TNT, but further adjustments could happen as the record approaches. TNT Sports also said it is collaborating with the NHL to feature Ovechkin during the chase on a variety of its linear and digital properties, including Bleacher Report and House of Highlights.

Ovechkin trademarked “The GR8 Chase” back in 2022, and has been working on marketing around the chase since then with the NHL, NHL Players’ Association, and the Capitals. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and Gretzky, meanwhile, plan to start attending each Capitals game in person once Ovechkin gets within about five goals of the record. 

Monumental Juxtaposition

The on-ice surge by Ovechkin and the Capitals, meanwhile, created a rather unique situation involving two of the teams owned by the Ted Leonsis–led Monumental Sports & Entertainment.

The Capitals are currently the NHL’s top team with 84 standings points, one ahead of Winnipeg, and are now the leader for the Presidents’ Trophy. The Wizards are at the exact opposite end of the scale, with the team’s nine wins this season amounting to five fewer than any other NBA team. 

The difference in success between the two teams is certainly not new, as the Wizards have reached the playoffs just once since 2019, while the Capitals have missed the postseason just once since 2014. Never before, however, has disparity been quite so stark.