Ice hockey: Owetschkin’s guide: Gretzky presses thumb for NHL record

Alexander Owetschkin cannot wish for a more prominent supporter and guide to hunting the eternal Tor-best brand in the NHL. Canada’s ice hockey legend and record holder Wayne Gretzky personally keeps his fingers crossed for the Russian that his long-standing brand of 894 hits is broken.

“Oh yes, of course,” said Gretzky in the early stages of this season when asked whether Owetschkin will surpass his record. “It’s just a matter of time. He is a great goal scorer.” The now 64-year-old also sees the historical value of Owetschkin’s record hunt: “It’s great for the game. It is positive for sport.”

Owetschkin knows how to appreciate this support of the NHL idol. “If such a person keeps my fingers crossed for me, that’s pretty cool,” said the Russian. “Even if I have a doldrum, he sometimes writes me an SMS and says: ‘Don’t worry. That is still coming.’ He’s on my side. ” Owetschkin is now only five goals for the record to exceed “The Great One”.

It is not known whether Owetschkin also exchanged with Gretzky after the 5: 8 bankruptcy of his Washington Capitals for the Buffalo Sabres text messages. The superstar scored his 37th Seasonor and number 890 in the 20th NHL season, but the hit was pretty irrelevant to the 39-year-old. “Now we have just lost three games in a row,” he said.

The Washington Capitals have already qualified for the playoffs, so Owetschkin doesn’t have to worry. But as much as the upcoming record deals with the world around him – the attacker is ambitious and thinks of the big picture of the season. “It is good that this happens now and not in the playoffs. But we have to shake it off and find a way to win games.” Turn up the big trophy again, which would be worthy of his sporty career.

The whole season is paying homage to competitors and colleagues

US media and teammates have been paying homage to him for weeks. The Gretzky brand is close to grasp and occasion for many hymns of praise on the gray-haired Russians. The fact that the two -time family man Owetschkin never distanced himself from Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and never condemned the war of aggression on Ukraine is usually the only – albeit big – point of criticism of Owetschkin.

Otherwise, everyone who gets the opportunity to tell how nice and generous the star is. “Very, very generous with his time, with his money – he also does uncomfortable things for people,” said team -mate Dylan Strome last.

Owetschkin is worshiped as a hero in Russia

The Moscow native is one of the most prominent athletes in Russia. In ice hockey, the Russian experts put him on a level with the legendary Waleri Charlamow. “Every match of the capital is part of the big catch-up Alexander Owetschkins on Wayne Gretzky,” wrote the Russian Sport-Express. The hero worship in the media has not only sporty, but also political reasons. Because of his openly showed sympathy for Kremlin chief Putin, Owetschkin in Moscow is considered “our husband in America”.

In 2017 he founded the “Putin Team”, which supported the re -election of the Russian president a year later. According to Owetschkin’s model, the movement joined further prominent athletes. Owetschkin called for peace on the beginning of the Russian war of attack against Ukraine. But he did not criticize Putin. To this day, a common picture with the Kremlin chief as Avatar hangs on the Instagram account Owetschkins.

52 goals in his first NHL season

Owetschkin was born in 1985 as the son of two athletes – the father played football, the mother basketball – and showed his great talent early on the ice. As a teenager, he broke records, in 2004 the Capitals then selected him in the draft. The fact that Gretzky’s record is not already set is also due to the delayed start of the Owetschkins NHL career: the 2004/2005 season fell victim to the collective bargaining negotiations, and only in 2005 he made his debut as a professional of the capital. In his first season he booked 52 goals and was elected as “Rookie of the Year” as the best newcomer to the league.

Owetschkin meets everywhere

Since then, Owetschkin’s game has developed in every facet. He scored many of his goals with a volley shot from the left Bullykreis, but the Russian is dangerous everywhere. If you believe the NHL tracking data, Owetschkin from 15 of the 16 offensive zones shot on the goal and scored at least one goal from 11. Nobody has any more goals, nobody scored more goals into the empty goal than he did. According to the AP news agency, Owetschkin met against 181 goalkeepers – also a record – six new ones have been added this season. “There is really no method to stop it,” Capitals goalkeeper Logan Thompson is certain.