The UBS Arena erupted Sunday as Washington Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin made history scoring his 895th goal, surpassing the NHL record set by Wayne Gretzky.
Fans chanted “Ovi” in celebration after his goal, made during a power play by the Capitals. All eyes had been on Ovechkin in recent weeks as he neared the record and on Sunday, his family was in the stands to celebrate the moment with Gretzky also in attendance.
A perfect pass during the power play by longtime teammate Tom Wilson gave the left-winger the chance to deliver the goal.
“Like I always said all the time, it’s a team sport and without my boys, the whole organization, the fans, the trainers, coaches, I would never stand there and I would never pass the Great One, so fellas thank you very much, I love you so much,” Ovechkin told the packed arena in his first comments after breaking the record.
He went on to address his children and fans around the world: “We did it boys, we did it.”
The 39-year-old thanked his family and kids, saying “without your support I would never stay here,” before hugging his family once more.
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The record has stood since 1999, when Gretzky scored his 894th goal with the New York Rangers in his 20th and final season.
Gretzky congratulated Ovechkin as well as the player’s family.
“I can tell you firsthand I know how hard it is to get 894; 895 is pretty special,” he said. “They say records are made to be broken but I’m not sure who’s going to get more goals than that.”
Ovechkin’s goal also came less than two weeks before the team’s final regular-season game on April 17.
“We have all just witnessed history,” said NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said during a ceremony at centre ice. “Wayne, you’ll always be the Great One and you had a record that nobody ever thought 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.”
Bettman presented Ovechkin with a painting by Canadian professional sports artist Tony Harris; it showed the player holding the Stanley Cup.
Ovechkin’s goal was particularly special as it was the first he had ever scored on fellow Russian Ilya Sorokin, making him the 183rd goaltender Ovechkin has beaten.
The Capitals mobbed Ovechkin to celebrate the accomplishment, much as they did when he tied Gretzky’s record on Friday. Ovechkin gave hugs to team equipment and training staff on the bench before shaking hands with the Islanders’ players.
The chase by the Great 8, a nickname honouring his jersey number, captured attention from North America to Ovechkin’s native Russia, where billboards and goal-counters cheered on and tracked his effort. It helped Ovechkin that his team is one of the best in the NHL this season, defying expectations.
For NHL playoff goals, which do not count toward the record, Gretzky has the most (122). Ovechkin has 72. Gretzky also had another 56 in the World Hockey Association regular season and playoffs, while Ovechkin has 57 from his time in the KHL, Russia’s top league.
Returning to Russia to play in front of family and friends is an option at some point for Ovechkin, who has one season left after this one on the five-year, $47.5 million contract he signed in 2021, which took him through age 40 to give him enough time to chase Gretzky’s record.
—with files from The Associated Press
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