As Alex Ovechkin inches closer to Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal record, many wonder which goalie will be the one to allow the historic tally. Spencer Knight of the Chicago Blackhawks might be that goaltender—but his response to the possibility has left fans in awe.
Ovechkin scored his 888th career goal on Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers, meaning he is now just seven goals away from surpassing Gretzky’s all-time record of 894. Many once believed the record would stand forever, but Ovechkin has continued scoring at an elite level for nearly two decades. Now approaching 40, he remains one of the greatest goal scorers in the game.
As he nears this prestigious milestone, speculation has grown around which goalie will be in net for the record-breaking goal—a moment that will be immortalized in hockey history. According to The Athletic, Alex Ovechkin has a five percent chance of reaching the milestone against the Chicago Blackhawks on April 4.
“You can’t be thinking about that going into the game because then he’ll probably score right away,” Blackhawks goalie Arvid Söderblom said. “You’ve got to treat it as a normal game, a regular game. If it happens, it happens. Then you’ll probably see yourself letting in that goal forever.”
Alex Ovechkin closer to record
Patrick Roy, now head coach of the New York Islanders and one of the greatest goalies in NHL history, sympathizes with whoever finds themselves on the wrong end of Alex Ovechkin’s record-breaking shot.
“You probably don’t want to be the guy (everyone sees on the highlight) over and over and over again, but that’s the way it is,” Roy said. “With the quality of goaltenders now, no one ever really thought that record could be touched. A lot of the things Wayne did we thought nobody would touch.”
But not everyone sees a downside to being that goalie. When asked about the possibility, Blackhawks netminder Spencer Knight gave a response that fans absolutely loved.
“If he gets it in the game against you, hats off to him,” Knight said. “You can’t be mad about it. You’ve just got to play the game. Hey, hockey’s best goal scorer ever—you tip your hat to him. It’s an awesome accomplishment. Really cool time to be a part of the game.”
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