The Gr8 Chase Is Nearly Complete: The Most Impressive Sports Broken Record I Have Ever Seen

As someone who has grown up loving sports, I have been able to see some unbelievable records being set or broken. Tom Brady being the only player in NFL history to throw for over 600 touchdowns, Ray Allen and Stephen Curry have become the NBA's all-time three-point leaders in my lifetime, and LeBron James passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the NBA's all-time points seemed like it would be impossible to do. But I think what Alex Ovechkin has done and is about to do is the most impressive one of all.

At age 39 and in his twentieth season, a year where he even missed time with a broken leg, Ovechkin pulled off what seemed impossible at one point. The Great Eight now sits alongside The Great One at the top of the NHL's all-time career goals list with 894 apiece, and with one more to get to 895, Ovechkin will officially get to call himself the greatest goal scorer in the history of hockey.

With Ovechkin being on the cusp of history, it had me thinking, where does this rank among records being broken in the world of professional sports? And after thinking it over, in terms of specifically statistics, not championships or team records, I think Ovechkin passing Gretzky is the most impressive one I have seen in my life thus far.

Why do I say this? Well, I think it is quite simple. In hockey, every goal is worth 1 point on the scoreboard and stat sheet. In a sport like basketball, there are various types of ways to add points on your resume: free throws, two- or three-pointers, and obviously each has a different weight. For example, a layup is not as valuable as a three-pointer. In hockey, though? Each goal is the same in terms of the record books; the scoreboard moves by just one goal, no multipliers, no "and-ones," everything moves by one. I guess Brady's touchdown record could have this argument also but to me, scoring a goal in hockey is more difficult than throwing a touchdown pass.

When Ovi hits 895, it will be more than just a record broken; it will be one of, if not the most impressive achievements in the history of sports. To me, it beats LeBron's points, Curry's threes, and Brady's touchdown record. In a sport where all goals equal the same, Ovechkin passing Gretzky, goal for goal (in the same amount of career games), I think is the greatest individual accomplishment I have seen in sports.