The countdown is on with Alex Ovechkin just 7 goals from overtaking Wayne Gretzky as the NHL's career goal leader – a mark that once seemed unsurmountable and earned Gretzky the nickname The Great One.
The Great Eight, as the Washington Capital is sometimes called, began the season 41 goals behind Gretzky's 894. But, perhaps, numbers fall short of conveying how dominant the two players' careers have been. He scored his 35th of the year Thursday night.
From goals to points, our series of charts below — based on NHL and Hockey Reference data — show the gulf that Gretzky and Ovechkin have created between themselves and their contemporaries as they solidified their positions as two of the league's greats.