Ovechkin’s goal, for the record, was his 60th empty netter, the most in NHL history. More importantly, it brought him to within 25 goals -- of any kind -- of matching Gretzky’s mark of 894, a chase the entire hockey world will be watching for the remainder of the season.

Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals is closing in on the NHL career goals record of 894 held by Wayne Gretzky. Ovechkin has 868 goals after scoring 15 in the first 18 games this season. He needs 27 to set a new record.

Alex Ovechkin will return to the Washington Capitals' lineup on Saturday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs after missing 16 games with a broken fibula. The Capitals captain has not played since suffering the injury during a collision with Jack McBain of the Utah Hockey Club on Nov.

CHICAGO -- When the NHL decided the 2009 Discover Winter Classic would be held at Wrigley Field, the iconic home of the Chicago Cubs, it was a new twist on a still new idea.

As a chilly mist hovered over Wrigley Field on Friday afternoon, construction workers moved boxes across a large graphic of ivy where the third-base line normally would be. Four days before a Tuesday afternoon puck drop for the NHL Winter Classic,