ELMONT, N.Y. — For the 895th time in his NHL career, Alex Ovechkin scored a goal, then celebrated with his teammates. Nobody in the history of professional hockey has been better at either. The Washington Capitals superstar, a once-in-a-lifetime fusion of incomprehensible skill, uncommon consistency and unrestrained joy, broke Wayne Gretzky’s career record for goals on Sunday at UBS Arena. Advertisement Ovechkin scored on the power play 7:26 into the second period to cut Washington’s deficit to 2-1. Ovechkin beat Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin on a one-timer from the top of the left circle after a pass from Tom Wilson, and then, as the crowd went wild, Ovechkin dove to the ice and slid toward center ice before rising and being mobbed by teammates.
ALEX OVECHKIN IS THE GREATEST GOALSCORER IN NHL HISTORY!
— NHL (@NHL) After the post-goal celebration slowed, and Ovechkin was congratulated by members of both teams, carpets were rolled out for a ceremony that included Ovechkin’s wife, his two sons and his mother, plus Gretzky, commissioner Gary Bettman and others. “What a day, huh?” said Ovechkin, who focused on thanking his teammates and family during brief comments. “We did it, boys. It’s history.” Bettman began the ceremony and said: “We have all just witnessed history. Wayne, you’ll always be ‘The Great One,’ and you had a record that nobody thought ever could be broken. But, Alex, you did it. You have been amazing. You have been the consummate player, representing the NHL extraordinarily on and off the ice.” Gretzky followed and said, in part: “I know how hard it is to get to 894 — 895 is pretty special. They say records are meant to be broken, but I’m not sure who is going to get more goals than that.”
Hear from The Great 8 after he cemented himself in NHL history.
— NHL (@NHL) Before the speeches, a video played on the board at UBS Arena, with tributes from sports legends such as LeBron James and Michael Phelps. The entire moment was a testament to two things: Ovechkin’s long-term, relentless production and his short-term, late-career finishing kick that electrified the sport, taking one of its greatest records held by its greatest player and, somehow, making it feel bigger. Advertisement Ovechkin’s career began in 2005 — a year after the Capitals drafted him No. 1 — with a two-goal game against the Columbus Blue Jackets and a 52-goal rookie season. In the 19 years that followed, he won three Hart Trophies as most valuable player and a Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs, when Washington won the Stanley Cup. He has led the league in goals nine times. He has set an overwhelming number of records, including (just on Friday) the most game-winning goals in NHL history. He married his wife, Nastya, and became a father to two sons, Sergei and Ilya. His hair went gray. Through it all, he never stopped scoring. He has 14 40-goal seasons, three of which have come after his 35th birthday. At his peak, he was otherworldly. In his twilight, he’s found a way — and while his skating has declined, his shot has not. The ability to put pucks in the net, through a combination of brute force and pinpoint accuracy, is fully intact. “Bottom line, he still scores goals,” longtime teammate Lars Eller said on Friday. “It’s impressive and it’s inspiring for other guys that are younger to say, ‘If he can do it, why can’t I keep doing what I’m doing for as long as him?’ It’s inspiring and it sets the bar high.” “He’s won every trophy you can win. He’s won a Conn Smythe. He’s won a Cup. And he still wants more.”
That all helped Ovechkin earn the opportunity to exceed the career goals record, which seemed unreachable when Gretzky retired in 1999. Then, Ovechkin seized it. Since returning to the lineup from a broken leg on Dec. 28, Ovechkin has scored 26 goals in 42 games — a 50-goal pace. Six have come in the last five games alone, each more consequential than the last. On Friday, with Ovechkin a hat trick away from setting the record, Gretzky began following the Capitals in anticipation of No. 895. In Washington, he watched Ovechkin score twice to pull even. In the moment, Ovechkin bowed toward Gretzky’s suite at Capital One Arena. Later in the night, after a closed-door, beer-soaked celebration in the Capitals’ locker room, the two sat down for a joint news conference. Advertisement “He’s been nothing but a champion,” Gretzky said, “and I’m so proud that we’re tied. I can live with that for 24 more hours.” On Long Island, Gretzky watched Ovechkin pull ahead. The goal brought one of his trademark scoring binges to a historic conclusion and, once again, emptied the Capitals’ bench in celebration.
As the party played out, coach Spencer Carbery beamed. He was born in 1981, which makes him closer to a peer of his 39-year-old winger than the vast majority of the Capitals’ roster. It also means that when it all started for Ovechkin in Washington back in 2005, Carbery wasn’t a child — he was an NCAA hockey player. And he was taking notes. From the jump, Carbery said on Friday, one particular element of The Ovechkin Experience popped a little more than the rest. “You saw the goal scoring and the shot,” Carbery said. “But I think the uniqueness of him, and what always stuck out, was the hunger and the passion and fire to score. That was different. It looked different when you saw the highlights and saw his reaction and how he celebrated. Whether it was a 2-1 goal or whether it was a goal in the Stanley Cup Final, it all looked the same. “And so when you watch hockey your whole life, when you see him react to scoring — a lot of players even talk about this. They’ve never seen someone that celebrates and enjoys scoring like Alex Ovechkin.” And now, they’ve never seen someone who scored more. (Photo: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)
