How close is Alex Ovechkin to breaking Wayne Gretzky's NHL career goals record?

Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals is closing in on the NHL goals record of 894 held by Wayne Gretzky.

Ovechkin has 889 goals and needs five to tie and six to break the record.

Ovechkin entered the season 42 short of breaking the regular-season record by “The Great One” that had long seemed unapproachable. The 39-year-old Russian is in his 20th NHL season and was on pace to get to 895 in February before breaking his left leg in a shin-on-shin collision in November. He missed 16 games but resumed his pursuit at Toronto in the Capitals' first game out of the Christmas break.

With Winnipeg leading by a goal late in the third period Tuesday night, Ovechkin got the puck from linemate Aliaksei Protas and and fired a wrist shot past Vezina Trophy front-runner Connor Hellebuyck to tie it with 4 minutes left. The Capitals lost in overtime.

Ovechkin already owns the NHL records for power-play goals and shots on goal.

He also has 135 game-winning goals, tied for the most with Jaromir Jagr. Ovechkin has scored on 182 different goaltenders, breaking Jagr's record by beating Leevi Merilainen of the Senators with No. 874. Ovechkin has 178 multi-goal games, second to Gretzky (189).

Ovechkin earlier this season became the 60th player to record 700 career assists. He joined Gretzky, Gordie Howe, Jagr, Marcel Dionne and Phil Esposito as the only players with 700 goals and 700 assists.

Ovechkin, after climbing past Mike Gartner (708), Esposito (717), Dionne (731), Brett Hull (741) and Jagr (766), scored goal No. 802 on Dec. 23, 2022, to move into second behind Gretzky (894).

Gretzky has held the record since scoring his 802nd goal on March 23, 1994, to pass Howe. He added 92 more before retiring in 1999 after a total of 1,487 games over 20 seasons.

Gretzky holds 55 NHL records and even if his goals mark falls to Ovechkin — which he has said he is excited about — two seem truly untouchable: 2,857 total points and 1,963 assists, which is more than anyone else has in goals and assists combined.

For NHL playoff goals, which do not count toward the record, Gretzky has the most (122). Ovechkin has 72. Gretzky also had another 56 in the World Hockey Association regular season and playoffs, while Ovechkin has 57 from his time in the Russia-based KHL.

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Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin (8) passes the puck past Winnipeg Jets' Colin Miller (6) during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (Fred Greenslade/The Canadian Press via AP)

Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin (8) takes a shot on Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (37) during the second period of their NHL hockey game in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (Fred Greenslade/The Canadian Press via AP)

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) and Florida Panthers defenseman Nate Schmidt (88) battle for position during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) celebrates his goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Philadelphia Flyers, Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin warms up before an NHL hockey game against the Florida Panthers, Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin takes to the ice to warm up before an NHL hockey game against the Florida Panthers, Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) celebrates his goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Philadelphia Flyers, Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — The most important Republican in New Jersey's race for governor this year might well be a part-time resident of Bedminster who burnished his reputation and his brand near the Atlantic City Boardwalk.

“Donald Trump is the X factor in this GOP primary,” said Ben Dworkin, director of the Rowan Institute for Public Policy & Citizenship. “His endorsement right now could make or break, depending on to whom he gives it.”

But in a state that has long leaned Democratic, the president's endorsement in the June 10 primary could complicate things in a general election, where the winner of a six-person Democratic field awaits.

That may explain why one Republican candidate, state Sen. Jon Bramnick, has criticized Trump over his pardons for those involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, and why two other leading contenders have sought the president's support without much fanfare.

Still, in one of only two states with a race for governor this year — Virginia is the other — the general election will be closely watched for clues about whether blue state voters have been won over or repelled by Trump’s leadership. Trump, who built his brand as an Atlantic City casino owner and still owns property in New Jersey, including the Bedminster golf club, narrowed the margin between 2020 and 2024 but still lost the state, and Democrats maintain firm control.

Some Republicans think that's changing.

The GOP field dwindled from five candidates to four this past week when Ed Durr, a former state senator and vocal Trump supporter, dropped out. Durr made national news in 2021 when he shocked state Senate President Steve Sweeney, a Democrat, by winning in their southern New Jersey district. A furniture truck driver new to elected office, Durr said in a statement he was ending his campaign so radio host and fellow Trump supporter Bill Spadea could defeat “never Trumpers” in the race.

Both Spadea and Jack Ciattarelli, the 2021 GOP nominee for governor who lost by roughly three percentage points to term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, have said critical things of Trump in the past, but both have embraced him lately.

Ciattarelli met with the president last week. Chris Russell, his campaign strategist, declined to discuss details of the meeting, but said Ciattarelli welcomes the president’s support if he should give it. A message seeking comment was left with Spadea’s campaign.

Mario Kranjac, the former two-term mayor of the suburban New York City town of Englewood Cliffs and a recent entrant into the race, said he thinks he is the most Trump-aligned candidate because he never wavered in his support for Trump during the president's first term.

“The residents and citizens and taxpayers of New Jersey need a governor with fixed values and beliefs, and that’s me -- in terms of everything that I stand for and that President Trump stands for,” he said in a phone interview. “They shouldn’t have to worry that when something happens, their candidate is going to abandon President Trump, which I would never do.”

Part of the challenge for Republicans is that the value of Trump's support is a moving target. The first two months of his second term as president may have alienated some voters but won others over. Anticipating how much value Trump could add to the campaign when voters cast their primary ballots is guesswork, with circumstances changing by the day.

In the pre-Trump era, some Republicans successfully navigated the shoals between the primary and the general elections. While Republicans have not won a U.S. Senate seat in New Jersey in more than five decades, they have enjoyed more success in governor's races. The last three Republicans elected governor — Thomas Kean Sr., Christine Todd Whitman and Chris Christie — all won two consecutive terms. But their brand of politics included business-friendly conservatism, hardly the same as Trump's aggressive populism.

Democrats remain the dominant party in the state, but some Republicans say that hold is slipping. Russell, Ciattarelli’s strategist, points to the registration gains the GOP has made, shaving the Democrats’ advantage from 1 million more voters to 834,000 more.

He said Democrats should not be overconfident in their traditional advantages.

“I think they’re missing the lesson of the 2024 election in New Jersey, which is Donald Trump did exceedingly well in New Jersey,” he said.

The weight of Trump’s influence lingers as one of the lessons the GOP took from 2024. That much seemed evident in Durr's withdrawal from the race.

In his statement announcing the decision, Durr said he was ending his campaign so Spadea could prevail. Soon after, Durr said his statement was not actually an endorsement. Steve Kush, a Durr spokesperson, explained the distinction and, in the process, reflected who the big dog is in the primary.

“He doesn’t want to use the word endorse because he doesn’t want to get ahead of President Trump,” Kush said.

FILE - Former state senator Ed Durr speaks following the first Republican debate, Feb. 4, 2025, at Rider University in Lawrenceville, N.J. (AP Photo/Mike Catalini, File)

FILE - Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump walks after a news conference at Trump National Golf Club, Aug. 15, 2024, in Bedminster, N.J. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson, File)