- Wayne Gretzky thinks the season would continue this summer
- League already has some scenarios about the playoffs
- Gretzky and Alexander Ovechkin are providing content for the fans, having joint interviews
- The Great One is rooting for Ovi to reach him at the top of the goalscoring list
Arguably the greatest ever hockey player, Wayne Gretzky, believes that the NHL will resume this summer.
Gretzky’s positive attitude on league returning this summer
Gretzky had an interview with Associated Press, in which he stated that he thinks that the governments of Canada and the USA will come up with a solution for the overall crisis and manage to end the suspensions in all major sports, not only NHL.
“I really believe somehow, someway, that the leadership in this country and in Canada, that we’re going to figure this out,” Gretzky said. “And I really believe that we’ll see hockey and some sort of other sports in June, July, and August, albeit in a different way, but I really see it coming to fruition. I think it’s going to happen.”
The Great One, as the fans call him, considers there are enough reasons to be positive about the above-mentioned claim. In the meantime, the NHL already has several plans about the possible league resume. Some include playoffs at neutral venues, with teams divided into several locations. This option would exclude all the travels from one place to another, significantly decreasing the risks of being infected.
Also, there were numerous scenarios for the format of the playoffs. Some were including best of five series, others were suggesting to go on with one-game elimination, but for now, there haven’t been any official confirmations or even indications what would be the final solution of this matter.
Ovechkin and the Great One make joint interviews
Gretzky is trying to help the NHL community with being active in these harsh times. He is constantly providing some interesting content from his home in California, where he spends time in self-isolation. For instance, he and Alexander Ovechkin did one joint interview, which drew an enormous amount of attention in the hockey world.
According to the two, they would play the NHL20 match on Wednesday, all in order to give the fans some fun in these hard times.
When mentioning Gretzky and Ovechkin in the same sentence, there are always some comparations, because these two guys are arguably the best goalscorers in the history of the game. Right now, Gretzky is 188 goals away from Ovechkin, who, according to many, is the only player able to reach the former Canadian player.
This is a subject of debate for a long time, because Ovi still has enough fuel in the tank, and it seems that he might play several more years at a high level. Right now, he and David Pastrnak lead the way on the top goalscoring list with 48 hits each, which proves that the 35-year old still has what it takes to be the elite finisher.
Although the Russian chases his record, Gretzky is rooting for him, and providing support, because he believes it would be an excellent thing for the game that Ovi eclipses him on the all-time goalscoring list.
“I can’t help but cheer and root for him each and every day,” Gretzky said. “I hope I’m the first guy who’s able to shake his hand when he does break my record.”
