Hutch's Hockey: History and Legacy

It's been the hottest topic all season, and the excitement reached a fever pitch when Alex Ovechkin's Gr8 Chase neared completion Friday. A two-goal effort against the Blackhawks put him level with Wayne Gretzky in all-time goals, and it led to an exciting final few minutes in an otherwise unspectacular matchup between the Eastern Conference leaders and the Central Division's last-place team. Ovechkin is adamant about scoring the record-breaking goal on a goalie, and Spencer Knight did everything in his power to avoid being that unlucky netminder. 

Ovechkin then broke the record Sunday with a second-period power-play goal, again from his office at the top of the left face-off circle. Islanders netminder Ilya Sorokin had been perfect against Ovechkin until the record-breaking moment. It was a picture-perfect piece of history, and there's no question that Ovechkin is now the greatest goalscorer of all time. 

Many thought Gretzky's goals record would be unbreakable. Many more will think Ovechkin's final mark, whatever it ends up at, will be even tougher to beat, barring a seismic shift in the balance of power between skaters and goalies. In any case, history is history. Even if a record is broken, elite players can take satisfaction in knowing that they have held it for any length of time. For Gretzky, there's no shame in being No. 2 on the all-time list after holding the top spot alone for over 31 years. His achievement is not diminished by Ovechkin passing him. 

Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire: Last Minute Pickups For Your Fantasy Hockey Championship

As much as history is an objective thing -- names and numbers in a list in a record book -- there's also the idea of a player's legacy. What is Ovechkin's legacy? The record is part of it, sure. History and legacy go hand-in-hand to some extent, where one rarely matters without the other. Many players have dominated a spot on the ice, and Ovechkin's one-timing prowess from the left face-off circle is arguably his biggest contribution to changing the way hockey is played. Full disclosure: I can't skate. That didn't stop me from playing run-around floor hockey in college, and I set up shop on the left side of the net as much as possible. I'm sure plenty of other people who grew up watching Ovechkin play ended up doing the same thing, be it on a roller rink, in pickup street hockey games or on the ice. 

There's also everything off the ice. It's one thing to be an all-time great player. It's another thing to be an all-time great person, someone who uses their fame for good. Legacies last far longer than history. Legacies are maintained as much as they're built, and they're a reflection of how a player continues to pay it forward after their career is over. 

Take someone like Lanny McDonald. He had 1,006 points in 1,111 games -- elite numbers even in a high-scoring era. He was a Stanley Cup champion in his final season. As great as all of his on-ice achievements were, it's his time as a member of the Hall of Fame selection committee, as the Hall of Fame's board chairman and now as a Stanley Cup trustee that have kept him as one of the greatest ambassadors for the NHL and hockey as a whole. 

Legacies are also complicated. Numbers are numbers, and you can debate which ones matter more than others, but legacies are subjective to opinions and attitudes that can shift over time. Some players choose to maintain a place in the spotlight after their career. Others quietly move into the background. History has a clear path to being remembered -- set records and win championships. Legacies can go in so many different directions, and outside of being the best you can be in all areas, there's no one way to go about it. 

As for future records, Ovechkin isn't done. Who knows how long he'll continue to play, but the combined regular-season and playoff goal record is still Gretzky's at 1,016. After surpassing the regular-season-only record, Ovechkin stands 49 goals away from matching that combined mark -- maybe 2025-26 features a Gr8 Chase sequel for the combined record. As for non-Ovechkin history, I could very easily see Connor McDavid and/or Nathan MacKinnon being players who reach 2,000 regular-season points to finally take second place from Jaromir Jagr. 

Even on a smaller scale, fantasy managers in long-term leagues are preparing to make a little piece of history in a couple of weeks. There's nothing better in fantasy hockey than a years-long friendly rivalry between a good group of people in a league. Getting bragging rights over friends and family -- and the trash talk that comes with it at next season's draft -- is a blast. As much as history is fun, don't forget the legacy. Try to be the type of friend and competitor that people will miss when everyone goes their separate ways. Be competitive, but also be someone people can lean on when the chips are down. Winning will come and go, but your reputation is forever. 

Heading into the fantasy finals, it's all about getting the most from any roster moves you make. Take whatever approach you want -- streaming players is fine, waiting a couple of days to see which categories you need to target can work too. If you play straight to the end of the season in a league with daily moves, you have more time to make up ground. 

As has often been the case this year, Kiefer Sherwood is an excellent player to go after if you need hits. As a bonus, he's been a point-per-game player lately with three goals and nine assists, to go with 86 hits, over his last 12 contests. I've been following his path to (much less notable) history all season, and he's at a record 442 hits through 73 appearances, or just over six hits per game. The Canucks' offense is thinned out by injuries, allowing Sherwood to make an impact from virtually anywhere in the lineup. 

If you're in a shallow league and need a power winger, Matthew Knies is your guy. Knies is available in just under half of all Yahoo leagues, but that number is still way too low. He has two goals, six assists, 27 hits and 24 shots on net over his last eight contests. Knies has been alongside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner for nearly the full season, aside from injury absences. He's at 26 goals and 52 points, so Knies is simply too good to pass up if he's still lingering on your wire. 

Based on how his season started in Anaheim, Cam Fowler looked unlikely to get back to the 40-point mark, but his December trade to St. Louis has worked wonders. With nine points over the last six games, Fowler is now at 38 points in just 64 contests this season, 34 of which he's earned since that trade. Fowler is getting it done with power-play time and top-four minutes, and the Blues have been elite across the board during their 12-game winning streak. He's massively undervalued in fantasy, as his only weak spots are in hits and PIM. 

He's not a big name, but Connor Clifton has done enough on offense lately to bring attention to his other contributions. He's not a player that will typically get headlines for offense, but he has five assists over his last eight games. He also has 22 hits and 17 blocked shots in that span. The Sabres' offense has been pretty good despite the team's other struggles this season, and Clifton has played an elevated role since Henri Jokiharju was dealt to the Bruins. Add Clifton if you need non-scoring numbers, but take any extra offense he can pick up as a bonus. 

Mason McTavish has been on the radar since his offense started to pick up in late January. I've talked about his production recently, but it's worth mentioning again given that fantasy managers will want a boost from anywhere they can find it. McTavish has 11 points (two goals, nine assists) over his last 10 outings, and he's added 12 hits and a plus-5 rating. He's gone from hovering around his usual production from the last two years to on the verge of a 50-point campaign -- he's one point away with plenty of time to go. I'll never fully write off a player prior to their age-25 season, and McTavish's sudden uptick this year after turning 22 is a good example of why patience can pay off. 

Say what you want about Andrei Kuzmenko, but he tends to make good first impressions. Last year, following his trade from Vancouver to Calgary, he closed the season with 25 points in 29 games. He then struggled in Calgary before earning five points across seven contests with the Flyers. Now, he's earned 11 points in 16 outings with the Kings. His first NHL season was a 74-point campaign, and while he's unlikely to ever get close to that mark again, he seems to do well when the pressure to prove himself is on. His fit with Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe has been impressive, and that makes him an offense-only option for the rest of the season. Just don't bank on him maintaining that success when 2025-26 starts. 

If you want a little more grit behind the offense from a Kings winger, consider Warren Foegele. His offense has been less flashy than Kuzmenko's in recent weeks, but Foegele still has 11 points over 19 contests since the start of March. In that span, he's added 51 shots on net, 19 hits and a plus-9 rating. Foegele is having a career year for the second season in a row with 22 goals and 43 points through 76 outings. His physical play is down a little bit, but he's made up for it with an elite plus-32 rating. He's got good shot volume for a middle-six forward, so definitely consider him if you need help in that area as well. 

The intersection of fantasy versatility and production right now features Morgan Geekie. His five-point effort in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Hurricanes stands out, but Geekie has seven goals and 16 points across his last 10 outings en route to his first 50-point campaign. The 26-year-old is crushing it on the Bruins' top line, literally and figuratively -- he's also racked up 105 hits to go with 29 goals and 22 assists this season. The team has nothing to play for, but Geekie has defied the odds with a strong finish to 2024-25, and his chemistry with David Pastrnak is real. 

Somewhat quietly, Calvin Pickard has become a 20-win goalie. He's thriving in the absence of Stuart Skinner (head), and it hasn't been easy given all the other missing pieces for the Oilers. Pickard has started five straight games, going 3-2-0 with a 2.78 GAA and a .904 save percentage in that span. As always, the numbers matter as much as the playing time. Pickard has had limited success throughout his career, but he's been a good fit with the Oilers. If Skinner is held out for the rest of the regular season, Pickard will get plenty of playing time. Speaking of injuries, don't forget to check RotoWire's NHL Injury Report and Injury News page to track Skinner's status. 

Karel Vejmelka continues to start, and that kind of volume is key at this time of year. His start Saturday was his 20th in a row, a span in which he's gone 11-6-3 with a 2.48 GAA and a .901 save percentage. It's about the same as his season-long work (2.53 GAA, .906 save percentage). Utah's not mathematically eliminated yet, and the team won't quit trying until it's official. Even then, it's possible they'll keep Vejmelka active. Utah has Seattle, Nashville (twice), Dallas and St. Louis left on the schedule, so at least consider Vejmelka as a streaming option. It's unclear if Utah trusts Matt Villalta to put in a competitive effort. 

With the fantasy hockey finals upon us, now's the time to make all your hard work count. If you manage multiple teams, some have likely fallen out of the playoffs. Prioritize your championship matchups first, but I encourage you to play out all matchups this week, even if it's just a third-place game. You can't win them all, but grabbing some titles and aiming for podium finishes is a good backup plan. Have fun as the playoff chase in the NHL nears its end, and go make some history to close out the season! I'll be back for one more look around the NHL on Monday for some final touches during the championship run. 

Stuck between two players available on the waiver wire? Check out the NHL Player Comparison Tool or the NHL Trending Players to help break the tiebreaker on your waiver wire decisions.