David Perron entered the NHL in 2007, a couple years after Alex Ovechkin. Two decades later, they're both still going. Hell, Ovechkin might never stop. He's tracking toward another 50-goal season at age 37 and closing in on Gordie Howe for second on the NHL's all-time scoring list. With the Red Wings on the schedule Monday night.
"I don’t think as an organization we want to see him finish second overall, so hopefully our guys will take that a little personal in the fact of what Gordie is and what he means to this organization," Wings coach Derek Lalonde said Sunday. "Hopefully we take that a little bit personal and maybe try to push that back for someone else."
Ovechkin reached 800 last week by scoring a hat trick, because of course. No. 801 will tie him with Howe, who scored a franchise-record 786 goals for Detroit. He was held off the scoresheet in the Capitals' win over Toronto on Saturday, to the chagrin of Lalonde and the rest of the Wings' coaching staff. They were rooting for Ovechkin to surpass Howe before they played him to avoid being footnotes to history. Still, Lalonde can appreciate the way the stars have aligned: "It's unbelievable," he said with a smile.
"And again," he said, "I think it’s exciting for our guys to be competing in a moment like that."
This is heady stuff. Once he passes No. 9, Ovechkin will have No. 99 in his sights. Wayne Gretzky's all-time record of 894 goals, not long ago considered untouchable, is officially in danger. At this point, it would be a bigger surprise if Ovechkin doesn't break it. He's scored at a 50-plus-goal pace over the last six seasons, which is flat-out insane in a league that's getting younger each year. Gretzky had nine 50-goal seasons, none after the age of 28. Ovechkin is pushing toward his 10th -- and his fifth after the age of 28.
"It’s pretty amazing what he’s doing," said Perron, no slouch himself with 278 career goals. "In a way, I think we’re all cheering for him a little bit as far as down the road if he can beat that record. I think it would be a cool thing for the league, certainly a record that 10 years ago no one thought could ever be broken."
Gretzky will forever be The Great One. But you can argue -- and I would argue with you -- that Ovechkin is already the greatest goal scorer ever. The record is a formality. Gretzky scored, let's be honest, a lot of silly goals against a lot of silly goaltending, given how much the position has evolved. Ovechkin has made goal scoring look easy against goaltenders and defensemen and entire damn teams who have made it harder than ever.
"When he started in '05-'06, he’s changed his style of play a little bit from then," said Perron. "He was running around a lot more, being a lot more physical. He still does at times, trust me. In the playoffs I’ve been on the other side of a couple of hits and it’s not easy. But he’s also found a way to be consistent scoring his goals, obviously on the power play, but he does it in different ways now, too."
As long as Ovechkin can shoot the puck, he'll keep scoring goals. He's scored 23 of them against the Red Wings, a historic franchise that might be on the wrong end of a historic moment Monday night. Lalonde called it "an honor to be competing against him in this league," and think about that for a moment. As much as opponents fear Ovechkin on the ice, they respect him even more. He will catch Gordie Howe in the next couple games, and then he'll start hunting down Wayne Gretzky. No, he will finish the hunt.
It started when he scored twice in his NHL debut.