When Alex Ovechkin sets the NHL time marking record, “The Great One” will be there. Wayne Gretzky will be part of a traveling caravan that will attend all Washington Capitals matches until Ovechkin broke the recordAccording to Chris Johnston of athletics.
Gretzky will be joined by the NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, as well as by other members of the League staff, starting on Wednesday, when the Capitals will face the Hurricanes of Caroline. Bettman, the wife of Gretzky and Ovechkin Nastya will then attend the remaining capital in each match until the record is broken.
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Ovechkin marked his 891st career objective In a 4-3 victory against Boston Bruins on Tuesday. With the goal, Ovechkin are three to equalize Gretzky, and four away from the Gretzky record.
Including Wednesday's match, Ovechkin had eight games to break the record. Capitals will alternate between home and outside matches to the last two games of the season, which will be played on the road.
If Ovechkin broke the record, the league will allow capital players to leave the bench and celebrate with it. There will also be an official celebration and ceremony that will stop the game, according to athletics. Regardless of the time that remains in the competition, or if it has implications in the playoff series, the league will interrupt the game to celebrate the record goal of Ovechkin.
This approach is the same as the League adopted when Gretzky broke the record of Gordie Howe in 1994. The NHL interrupted the match for a 15 -minute ceremony in honor of Gretzky's success. Howe and Bettman were present when Gretzky has set out the objectives' rating record.
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In addition to the itinerant caravan, the NHL announced Tuesday that it will have a dedicated camera to follow Ovechkin during the rest of its matches this season. About 10 additional cameras will be in the middle of the capital to provide more angles and sequences of the historic objective, according to athletics.
Ovechkin, 39, was an immediate star as a recruit after the capital selected him with the overall choice n ° 1 of the NHL 2004 draft. During his 20 -year career – which all came with the Capitals – Ovechkin is an All -Star 12 times and the triple winner of the Hart Memorial trophy. He also led the capital to their very first Stanley Cup championship in 2018.
Given his age, there were questions about the question of whether Ovechkin would tackle the Gretzky record during the 2024-25 season. But the big of the capital has intensified his game in a major way. After scoring 31 goals in 79 games last year, Ovechkin has already scored 38 goals in just 58 games this season.
