EDMONTON – “Wayne never considered himself a natural, pure goal scorer.”

To an observer, that is what makes his goal record so special.

Wayne Gretzky wore the Edmonton Oilers jersey for many seasons before continuing his career with the Los Angeles Kings (and then several other organizations). During that process, he set numerous records.

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The Hockey News spoke to Mark Messier last Friday in an exclusive interview. One of the topics broached was Alex Ovechkin breaking Gretzky’s all-time goals record.

“It’s really incredible that Alex has been able to score consistently at the pace that he has (for) over 20 years,” Messier marvelled. “I think it’s remarkable…the power that he plays with and the way he’s been able to score in so many different ways.”

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Gretzky now sits second in all-time goals scored, with 894. Messier himself only managed to find the back of the net 694 times, which has him at ninth overall on the all-time list.

“Wayne was never considered, and never considered himself a natural, pure goal scorer,” Messier revealed. “Wayne was always a pass-first player (who) made people around him better.”

Looking at the data, that sentiment is confirmed 100 percent. Gretzky finished his career with 1963 assists. He ended his career with more assists than every other player’s career point total.

Alex Ovechkin, The Greatest Goal Scorer Ever

Turning his focus to Ovechkin, he went into more detail about what makes him such a great goal scorer. 

“Ovechkin would be considered in many ways, a pure goal scorer,” Messier stated. “(He) scores in many different ways, with power, with finesse, with his shot, with grit, determination.”

“That’s what he does, he scores goals.”

Messier then dove into what it’s been like to follow Ovechkin on his journey to breaking Gretzky’s record – a player he played with, who is one of his greatest friends.

“Watching him stay healthy and chase down the record and eventually eclipse Wayne was great,” Messier revealed. “I think it was great for the game. I think it was great for the younger generation to see. I thought Alex handled the whole chase incredibly well. He brought his teammates into the fold and they’re having a great year, which always makes it that much more special.”

“There was nothing bad about it. It was just great to watch.”

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