As Alex Ovechkin chases down Wayne Gretzky's all-time NHL goals record, the Edmonton Oilers made quite a gesture toward the Washington Capitals captain. Ovechkin and the Capitals are visiting Edmonton for the first game of a lengthy Canadian road swing,

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin is 21 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky's all-time scoring record

Across Ovechkin’s career, he’s logged 709 assists to go with his 873 goals. That’s a staggering 1,254 fewer than The Great One. The only active players in hockey who are in the Top 25 in points are Sidney Crosby (9th) and Ovechkin (12th) — with both training Gretzky by over 1,000 points.

The 39-year-old winger took a pass from Rasmus Sandin on a 2-on-1 breakaway and fired it past rookie Leevi Merilainen, the record 179th goaltender he's scored on.

Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin is already one of the most heralded players in NHL history. The legendary forward already has a ton of records on the NHL history books, but there's one more still to go that could put him in the pantheon of all-time greats.

Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin has scored goals against more unique goalies than any player in NHL history, passing Jaromir Jagr.

NHL star Alex Ovechkin picked up another record on Thursday night as he moved closer to replacing Wayne Gretzky as the league’s all-time leading scorer.

At the age of 39 and 21 goals away from passing Wayne Gretzky, Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin has the best goal-scoring pace in the NHL. Ovechkin has 21 goals in 29 games, including six in 11 games since returning from a broken leg that held him out for 40 days.