Wayne Gretzky, "The Great One," revolutionized hockey with his unparalleled vision and playmaking ability. While known for his record-shattering 1,963 assists, his 894 goals also cemented his legacy. Throughout his 20 seasons, Gretzky terrorized many goalies, with a few standing out as his most frequent victims. Richard Brodeur holds the unfortunate distinction of surrendering the most goals to Gretzky, with a staggering 29. Kirk McLean faced Gretzky the most often and allowed 21 goals. Gretzky scored against 156 different goalies in his career.
Alex Ovechkin, now holding the record for most goals scored in NHL history with 895, has been a dominant force in the league since his debut in 2005. Ovechkin's signature one-timer from the left circle has become one of the most feared and recognizable plays in hockey. To date, Ovechkin has scored against 183 different goalies, surpassing Patrick Marleau and Jaromir Jagr for the most in league history. Marc-Andre Fleury has yielded the most goals to Ovechkin with 27, followed by Henrik Lundqvist with 24.
Interestingly, 11 goalies share the distinction of having been scored on by both Gretzky and Ovechkin. This exclusive club includes prominent names like Martin Brodeur, Dominik Hasek, Chris Osgood, Ed Belfour, Garth Snow, Jean-Sebastian Giguere, Kevin Weekes, Mike Dunham, Nikolai Khabibulin, Sean Burke and Olie Kolzig. These goalies, spanning different eras, had a firsthand view of the unique scoring styles of both legends.
Olie Kolzig, who played with Ovechkin and faced Gretzky, described the contrast between the two stars: "Gretz is Baryshnikov out there, and Alex is controlled chaos... It's just two different ways to go about scoring." Gretzky's playmaking often set up his teammates, while Ovechkin's lethal shot was his primary weapon.
Martin Brodeur faced both Gretzky and Ovechkin multiple times throughout his career. Gretzky scored five goals against Brodeur in 18 games, while Ovechkin scored seven in 21 games. Brodeur recalls that with Gretzky, he was more concerned with where Gretzky was looking to pass rather than if he was going to shoot the puck.
Nikolai Khabibulin is the only goalie to have given up two milestone goals to both Gretzky and Ovechkin.
While many goalies have fallen victim to Gretzky and Ovechkin's scoring prowess, a small number have managed to keep them off the scoresheet entirely. Among them, former Flyers goaltender Michal Neuvirth holds the distinction of the most saves against Ovechkin without allowing a goal, stopping all 25 shots he faced in seven career games.
The stories of the goalies who faced Gretzky and Ovechkin offer a unique perspective on the careers of these two legendary players. They highlight not only their incredible skill but also their different approaches to the game. As Ovechkin continues his career, he will undoubtedly add to his list of conquered goalies, further solidifying his place in hockey history.