(Reuters) – Alex Ovechkin’s chase of Wayne Gretzky’s all-time NHL goal-scoring record is on pause as the Russian forward has a broken left fibula and is expected to miss four to six weeks, the Washington Capitals said on Thursday.
Ovechkin, who is 27 goals away from breaking Hall of Famer Gretzky’s record of 894 career goals, sustained the injury on Monday on a leg-to-leg collision with Utah Hockey Club forward Jack McBain.
The 39-year-old Ovechkin entered the 2024-25 NHL season 42 goals shy of breaking Gretzky’s all-time mark which was once considered unapproachable but made a fast start and has a league-leading 15 goals in his first 18 games.
According to NHL.com, the absence will be the longest in the career of Ovechkin whose previous longest time out of action was when he missed six games due to an upper-body injury in 2009.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto, editing by Ed Osmond)
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