MOSCOW, April 17. /TASS/. The NHL Washington Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin should wait until next year to break Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record for goals scored, but he is on the track to overcome this record, Russia’s famous ice hockey player Valery Kamensky told TASS on Wednesday.

The Washington Capitals qualified for the playoffs on Tuesday thanks in part to another goal from Ovechkin.

Kamensky, a Stanley Cup and Olympic champion, says Ovechkin has it in him to break the record: "I think he will keep on pushing.

"The closer he gets to the record, the more difficult it will be to beat it. Alexander is strong-willed and I believe he will manage it," the player said.

"He had played a successful season, leading his team to the playoffs, proving once again that he is a great player, he is a star," Kamensky added.

According to statistics of regular NHL season matches, Ovechkin has scored 853 goals throughout his career, and this figure is in the second place to Canada’s ice hockey legend Gretzky, who boasts a career record of 894 scored goals.

However, any goals Ovechkin scores in this season’s playoffs will not count towards the regular season record. As of the end of this season, Ovechkin is 41 goals short of the all-time record. He has scored 31 goals this season after netting 42 pucks last season.

The contract of the 38-year-old Ovechkin with NHL Washington Capitals is valid until the end of June 2026.

Ovechkin signed with the NHL’s Washington’s Capitals in 2004. The Russian player is a 2018 Stanley Cup champion and a 2008, 2012 and 2014 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championships gold medalist, in addition to his two silver and four bronze medals at the world championships.

Ovechkin currently ranks second in the NHL for all-time goals with 853, trailing only the legendary Wayne Gretzky, who netted a total of 894 goals throughout his NHL career.