While in the Hall of Fame’s famed Stick Storage Centre, which holds more than 4,000 sticks, the oldest dating to 1875, Ovechkin was fascinated with an old, wooden one with a long flat blade. It belonged to Maurice Richard, who held the NHL goal record with 544 before Howe passed him on Nov. 10, 1963.

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Alexander Ovechkin is on the verge of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record (894 goals scored in the regular season in the NHL). Ovechkin has 885 at the time of writing; he only needs nine to equal ...

It won't be long now. Alexander Ovechkin notched the 885th goal of his career on Wednesday, leaving him 10 away from breaking Hockey Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky's all-time record (894).