Nothing excites sports fans around the world more than a player who consistently scores points, or goals, for their team. These are the players that kids will want to have on the back of their replica shirts, the one future children will be named after. When boiled down to its most essential parts, all team sport is basically about scoring more points than the other side, so that you can win. This puts the goalscorers/point scorers as the ones that fans will remember down the years.
Take a look at soccer for example and the successful team Arsenal. They have a history dating back well over 100 years, and since their inception in 1893, they have seen thousands of players walk through their doors, playing for fans’ affections. In a recent vote, Arsenal fans were polled to see who they believed to be the greatest player of all time to wear the famous red and white. Unsurprisingly, three of the top four players were three of their highest scorers in league competition. Number one was Thierry Henry, a phenomenal player who scored 175 goals in his eight years with the club. The fact that he was voted number one surprised absolutely no one; those who score goals are always going to be firm favourites in the eyes of the fans.
The same logic can be applied to the NHL. If you were to visit a country where Hockey was hardly watched at all, a place with little to no following of what was going on in the league, and you asked someone in the street to name just one Hockey player, the vast majority of them will reply with Wayne Gretzky. Gretzky is a player that almost transcends the sport of Hockey, given how successful he was during his 21-year career, where he turned out for the Indianapolis Racers, the Edmonton Oilers, the Los Angeles Kings, the St. Louis Blues and the New York Rangers.
He is the leading goal scorer, assist producer and point scorer in NHL history, as well as holding countless other records. He managed a remarkable 894 goals during his time on the ice, a feat that seems unlikely to ever be matched. Alexander Ovechkin, the captain of the Washington Capitals, is the only active player who is anywhere near Gretzky’s total, but at 35, and currently 164 goals behind, it is unlikely he will overtake him by the time he retires.
The Ottawa Senators are an NHL franchise who have been active in the NHL since 1992. There was a team in Ottawa called the Senators in the early years of the NHL, but they moved the franchise out of Ontario way back in 1934. In the almost thirty years since they were re-introduced, the Senators have had some remarkable players and great goalscorers. Fans of the Senators often examine the NHL odds to see what the chances are of one of their players overtaking Gretzky at the top of the charts. Is it likely? Let’s find out.
Daniel Alfredsson, the Swedish/Canadian player spent 17 long seasons with the Senators between 1994 and 2013 and was also made Captain for his final 13 seasons. Given how long he was playing in white and black, it is no surprise to see him right at the top of the charts. In his 1,178 games with the Senators, he achieved 1,108 points, scored 426 goals and chipped in with 682 assists. It is no wonder the man affectionately known as Alfie is still very popular with Senators fans, given his impressive stats.
The next man on the list is Jason Spezza, an Ontario native. Big things were expected of him at the beginning of his career, as he became just the third 16-year-old to make the Canadian international team, with Eric Lindros and that man Gretzky being the other two. He spent 12 years with the Senators (including two periods away from the team playing for Binghamton and Rapperswil-Jona) and has amassed 251 goals for them. However, his status as a Senators legend is far less secure than Alfredsson, as he currently plays for the Toronto Maple Leafs, one of the Senators’ biggest rivals.
It seems unlikely, given that the current top 10 leading scorers for the Ottawa Senators are all former players. Last season their highest scorer was Connor Brown, who managed 21 in what was a shortened season, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He has managed 80 goals in 127 games, which is a respectable return. At 27, he has many years ahead of him left in the NHL, so if he stays out in Ottawa, Senators fans will be hoping he might just yet break their all-time goalscoring records.
