Maple Leafs’ Matthews not thinking about chasing Ovechkin’s record
It took 31 years for a player to break Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal-scoring record, but is there a chance that a current player will challenge Ovechkin’s mark?
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The NHL crowned a new goal-scoring leader when Alex Ovechkin made history after scoring No. 895 on Sunday against the New York Islanders.
It took 31 years for a player to break Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal-scoring record, but is there a chance that a current player will challenge Ovechkin’s mark?
Specifically, how about a certain Toronto Maple Leafs captain?
“That’s such a long way to go. I don’t think I should even be in that conversation,” Auston Matthews told reporters on Monday. “This guy just broke the record. I’m so far away from that, and I think it shouldn’t really be a focus on myself.”
Matthews registered his ninth-straight 30-goal season after scoring against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday.
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Matthews has 398 goals through 623 career games, and since he entered the league in 2016, he has the highest goals-per-game average (0.64).
With Ovechkin still scoring goals an elite rate, there’s a high chance that his mark will be much higher when he decides to hang up the skate.
At this rate, few players have contemplated a new goal-scoring champion for a while.
“That’s pretty crazy,” Leafs winger Matthew Knies said when asked if the record could be broken that day. “I can’t even count that high.”
