In Season 20 & 41 Goals Shy Of Gretzky, Alex Ovechkin's Just Enjoying The Ride With The Capitals

WASHINGTON — Not much fazes Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin these days.

Not even the pressure as he looks to break a record once thought to be unbreakable.

Ovechkin will begin his 20th NHL season on Saturday as his Capitals play host to the New Jersey Devils, and all the while, he sits 42 goals away from passing Wayne Gretzky as the NHL's greatest goal scorer of all time.

"I'm always saying I just have to do my job, you know?" Ovechkin said, adding that the priority is on helping all of the new additions acclimate, "It's basically half the team that's new. It's new linemates, new teammates, so you have to use that time for not thinking about goals or something else. You just have to think about, 'Okay, what's going to work for us to get success?'"

When it comes to the passage of time and the feat ahead of him, Ovechkin remains nonchalant, still his humorous self with his classic missing-tooth smile.

"Times fly, what can I say?" the captain said upon returning to D.C.

As time passes, the pressure increases and the questions keep coming the 39-year-old's way regarding his trademarked "GR8 Chase" of 895 goals.

Still, Ovechkin remains unfazed.

After all, the goal for him after all of this time isn't just to find individual success; he put it simply on Thursday at Caps 50 Fest: he doesn't want to just pass Gretzky. He wants to win another Stanley Cup.

"That's the question, right? Do you want to be great, or do you want to be a champion?" former teammate Karl Alzner said. "We all know he's great, and he wants to be more of a champion. That's his answer and it's good for the city."

That said, Ovechkin's not letting the pressure get to him as he begins his 20th year in the NHL. He's barely had time yet to reflect on all of it.

Instead, he's relishing every moment.

"You think I'm gonna put weight on my shoulders? ... No. I just have to go out there and enjoy it," Ovechkin said. "We'll see what happens."

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