In the current NHL there are many star players that have dominated the league for a long time, and some of them are very close to hitting some major milestones in hockey history. Lets take a look at 3 milestones that look likely to be hit this upcoming NHL season:
1. Alex Ovechkin
Alex Ovechkin, one of the best goal scorers, if not the best goal scorer, to ever grace professional hockey. Ovechkin has 780 career goals, and is only 22 away from taking over second place in the most goals all-time list, which would see him overtake Gordie Howe. He is still a little bit over 100 goals away from Gretzky’s record, but if Ovi continues to fire pucks into the back of the net like he has season after season, theres a good chance he could become the top goal scorer in NHL history. Ovechkin is 37 years old, but during the 2021-2022 NHL season, he still fired in 50 goals in just 77 games.
2. Phil Kessel
When you look at Phil, he is likely the last guy you would expect to be a pro athlete, and certainly the last guy to be the NHL iron man, but here we are. Phil has played 982 GAMES STRAIGHT. He is only 8 games away from passing Keith Yandle for the most consecutive games straight in NHL history. It is reported Phil Kessel showed up to Golden Knights camp in great shape, and is certainly ready for a new start after being stuck on the bottom of the league Coyotes for 3 years, where he still put up 52 points in 82 games last season. Not only has Phil played 982 straight games, but he also has 956 points in his career, meaning he is fairly close to the 1000 mark there too. They call him Phil the Thrill for a reason.
3. Marc-Andre Fleury
Marc-Andre Fleury, a legendary goalie who has won 3 Stanley Cups, a Vezina Trophy, and a Jennings Trophy, is close to the biggest goalie milestone in hockey. Fleury currently sits with 520 wins in his career, he is 32 wins away from passing Patrick Roy for most wins ALL TIME in NHL history. Fleury, 37, is a member of the Wild this season, and looks to hopefully break the record this season.
