There have been many legends across different sports, but one of the greatest is Alex Ovechkin.

Background Information

Ovechkin has been playing in the NHL for about 20 years, and over time, he has only improved. He’s an incredible hockey player, especially for his age, as he’s still firing powerful slap shots at 40 years old. One of his well-known nicknames is The Great Eight—because he wears number eight and, well, he’s great!

Ovi made a huge impact right away, scoring two goals in his debut game. For those who don’t know, a debut game is a player’s very first game in the league, and scoring even one goal in that game is a big deal. Ovechkin was the first overall pick in the 2004 NHL Draft. Since then, he has won the Hart Memorial Trophy three times, an award given to the most valuable player in the league.

He’s also famous for having one of the cleanest and most powerful slap shots in hockey. Recently, he’s been seen using both the Bauer Vapor HyperLite 2 and the CCM Ribcor Trigger ASY sticks.

The Legend of Wayne Gretzky

Wayne Gretzky is often considered one of the greatest hockey players of all time. One of his nicknames is The Great One—and it doesn’t need much explanation. Even though he only scored one goal in his NHL debut, it’s still impressive considering the pressure of starting in a pro league. Gretzky retired at the age of 38, showing that greatness can continue well into a player’s late 30s.

Interestingly, Gretzky was never actually drafted into the NHL. He started in the WHA (World Hockey Association), and when the league merged with the NHL, he became an NHL player.

Gretzky held one of the biggest records in all of sports: the most goals scored in NHL history. But as of April 6, 2025, Ovechkin officially broke that record in a game against the New York Islanders—the same team Gretzky scored his final NHL goal against. Even though Ovechkin now holds the goal record, Gretzky still holds or shares an incredible 55 NHL records.