A leap year plan could change hockey history. Alex Ovechkin is close to Wayne Gretzky’s goal record.

Alex Ovechkin is close to breaking a big record in hockey. This record is for 894 goals by Wayne Gretzky. Let’s see how Ovechkin got to the NHL.

First, we look at his birthday. Ovechkin was born on September 17, 1985. He was too late to join the 2003 draft. Many teams wanted him. The Florida Panthers tried to pick him many times. They thought he was old enough to be picked in 2003.

But it did not work. Many people talked about it at the draft. The Panthers tried hard, and they saw Ovechkin's talent.

In 2004, Ovechkin was picked first by the Washington Capitals.

It all started with a phone call. The NHL draft was not on TV yet. George McPhee, the Capitals manager, learned they won the 2004 draft lottery. They had the third-best chance to win.

In the next weeks, the Capitals talked about two Russian players: Ovechkin and Evgeny Malkin. They chose Ovechkin. He was very good at scoring goals and skating. He made the team and fans excited.

But the start was not easy. The NHL had no games in 2004-05 because of a problem. Ovechkin stayed in Russia and played another year there. Fans had to wait. The team had to act fast.

George McPhee said they had only three days to get Ovechkin when the NHL started again in 2005. Ovechkin's parents wanted him to stay in Russia. But Ovechkin wanted to play in the NHL. In August 2005, he came to DC. He stayed in a hotel and then with McPhee's family.

Ovechkin was worth the wait. At 20, he scored 52 goals and won the Rookie of the Year award. Sidney Crosby was second in the voting that year.

Now, after 20 seasons, Ovechkin is close to breaking a big record. He has scored many goals and won many awards. He lifted the Stanley Cup in 2018 with the Capitals.

When he is done playing, they will make a statue of him in DC. The statue will show him ready to score a goal.

McPhee saw many of Ovechkin's goals. He said Ovechkin makes scoring look easy, but it is not. He also said Ovechkin is one of the best things for the NHL.

When Ovechkin stops playing, McPhee will say it was a very good pick.

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