When Alex Ovechkin scored in the third period against goalie Igor Shesterkin in the Caps’ 4-2 loss to the New York Rangers on Thursday night, it was his 709th career goal, passing Mike Gartner for seventh place on the all-time NHL goal scoring list. It made Shesterkin the 143rd goalie to be victimized by Ovechkin over the Great 8’s historic career. And it brings to mind, as it does every time Ovechkin climbs one more rung of the ladder, the elephant in the room – Wayne Gretzky. We will leave aside the question of whether Ovechkin can catch Gretzky for the all-time goal scoring lead.
Victims of Greatness
