26 Mar, 02:35Updated at: 26 Mar, 10:45

Ovechkin only five goals away from Gretzky’s all-time NHL record

Washington Capitals’ captain is now second in NHL history with 889 goals, trailing only Wayne Gretzky of Canada, who had 894 goals in his NHL career

WASHINGTON, March 26. /TASS/. Russian superstar forward and Washington Capitals’ captain Alexander Ovechkin scored another goal on Tuesday night in an away match against the Winnipeg Jets, putting him just five goals shy of Wayne Gretzky's all-time record.

Trailing behind the Jets 1-2, the Russian netted a puck to tie the score with four minutes left in the third period. However, his team lost 2-3 in the overtime.

Winnipeg Jets’ Head Coach Scott Arniel, who worked in the past as an assistant coach with the Capitals, said after the match commenting on Ovechkin’s goal: "He came by the bench and gave me the biggest smirk."

"I'm glad he got the goal. I'm glad he's getting closer to whatever that number is. At the end of the day, that's him. It doesn't take much. The puck is on his stick, off his stick," the NHL’s official website quoted Arniel as saying.

Ovechkin now has 36 goals in 55 games this season. Despite missing 16 games earlier in the season with a broken leg, Ovechkin is still in the top-10 in the NHL in goals this year, and is now second in NHL history with 889 goals, trailing only the Great One himself Wayne Gretzky of Canada, who had 894 goals in his NHL career.

Canadian-American ice hockey star Wayne Gretzky's career spanned twenty seasons over four different NHL clubs. From 1979 and 1999, Gretzky, considered by many to be the greatest hockey player of all-time, broke numerous NHL records, including the one for goals scored.

Ovechkin, 39, is signed with the Washington Capitals through 2026. The team, which already qualified for the playoffs, has 11 games left in the regular season.

Ovechkin broke into the NHL with the Washington Capitals, who selected him with the 42nd pick in the 2004 draft. The Russian superstar led the Caps to a Stanley Cup title in 2018, the only one of his career, and the only one in the club's history.

In 2008, 2012 and 2014, "Ovie," as he is called by his fans, won gold medals at the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championships to go along with his two silver and four bronze medals at the world championships.

During a rally of the newly-elected US president’s supporters at the Capital One Arena in Washington on January 20, US President Donald Trump called Russian hockey player Alexander Ovechkin "a great player."

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