Gretzky: 'No question in my mind' Ovechkin can break goal record

Wayne Gretzky is keeping a close eye on Alex Ovechkin as he climbs the all-time goals list.

"I'm a big believer that records are made to be broken," Gretzky told NHL.com's Tom Gulitti on Friday. "What I accomplished, I'm very proud of. It's hard to do what I did, and it's really hard to do what he's doing now. But there's no question in my mind that he has a legitimate chance of doing it."

Ovechkin, who tied Steve Yzerman for ninth in league history by scoring goal No. 692 just before the All-Star break, is now 202 tallies shy of reaching Gretzky's mark of 894.

"The two things that you need - you've got to stay healthy, and he's proven that over his career. He plays hard and he stays healthy. And, secondly, you've got to be on a good team - and he plays on a good team," Gretzky added.

"For my success, I had to play with good players. He plays with good players, and that obviously helps."

Gretzky, who turns 59 on Sunday, has a number of seemingly untouchable records. He holds the all-time marks for goals scored in a season (92), points recorded in a campaign (215), and points posted in a career (2,857). However, his record for the most career goals is within Ovechkin's reach.

"I think it would be wonderful for the game," Gretzky continued. "Anything that's positive is always good for the game. ... From the day he came into the game, into the National Hockey League, we knew what he was. He was just a hardworking guy who loved to score goals."

The 34-year-old Ovechkin is currently second in the league this season with 34 goals and will be hoping to add his ninth Rocket Richard Trophy.