Ovechkin Says He’ll Try for 1,000 Goals After Re-Signing for One Year

He says health and desire will determine a milestone chase and he places winning another Stanley Cup above breaking more records.

Overview

Ovechkin re-signed a one-year deal in early July to return for his 22nd NHL season and keep the Capitals’ short-term cap flexibility.
In a Match TV interview reported July 14–15, he said “we’ll try” to reach 1,000 regular-season goals but added the effort depends on his desire and health.
He currently has 929 regular-season goals and about 1,006 combined regular-season and playoff goals, roughly 10 shy of Wayne Gretzky’s all-time combined total.
Ovechkin stressed that winning another Stanley Cup matters more than chasing records and said he is unsure if he will play beyond the upcoming season.
Washington rebuilt its forward group in the offseason, adding Jordan Kyrou, Alex Tuch, Boone Jenner and Vincent Desharnais to give Ovechkin more scoring support for a short-term championship push.