[rfp1234]

Ovechkin would be the obvious exception. He may still pass Gretzky’s 894 goals.

[Alberta's Child]

Ovechkin would be an obvious exception NOW, but even as a prolific goal scorer throughout his career he had a reputation as one of those players who could never win a big game.

Barry Trotz was the best thing that ever happened to Ovechkin. He molded him into a much better two-way player and helped him add an element of tenacity to his game that he had lacked for years. A lot of talented players have been like that over the years; they score 2-3 goals in a 6-0 win but seem to disappear for long stretches in those 2-1 playoff game losses.

I don't see him getting anywhere close to Gretzky's career goal total. He's lost too much time to disruptions in NHL seasons over the years, and the game has changed so much that 50-goal seasons are as rare as 70-goal seasons once were.