Alexander Ovechkin has broken the unbreakable record.
With a slapshot straight to the back of the net, the Washington Capitals captain, 39, officially became the NHL’s all-time goal leader on Sunday, April 6, surpassing the legendary Wayne Gretzky with his 895th career goal.
Though the game, against the New York Islanders, was on the road away from Washington, D.C., Capitals fans packed UBS Arena and chanted “Ovi, Ovi, Ovi,” every time the left winger touched the puck. Excitement built in the second period when the Capitals went on the power play — where Ovechkin has scored 325 of his now-895 career goals — and he quickly notched the historic marker.
The Russian phenom screamed in celebration before diving to the ice, and then was mobbed by his teammates as Gretzky — whose nickname is the “Great One” — clapped in the stands for the new all-time NHL goal leader.
In a ceremony held just after the moment, Ovechkin thanked his teammates, fans and his family, including wife Nastya Ovechkina and sons Ilya, 4, and Sergei, 6.
“What a day, huh?” he told the cheering crowd. “It’s a team sport, and without my boys, the whole organization, the fans, the trainers, coaches, I would never stand there and obviously I would never pass the Great One. So, fellas, thank you very much. We did it, boys, we did it!”
Two nights earlier, Ovechkin, also with Gretzky in the building, scored his 894th career goal to tie the Canadian’s record. That goal, his second of the night, also came on a power play in the third period, against the Chicago Blackhawks
Gretzky, 64, scored his 894th and final goal on March 29, 1999. It was a record that seemed impossible to break, with Gretzky being widely considered the greatest hockey player of all time — plus changes to goalie equipment made pads larger and harder to get pucks past.
Gretzky, though, has no disappointment that he’s now No. 2 on the all-time goal list.
“I said two years ago that when Alex gets close to my record, I’ll be here,” he told reporters, including PEOPLE, during the game on Friday. “… I said it’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when, when he breaks it.”
“Right now,” Gretzky continued, “I hope Alex enjoys it. And he deserves all the credit and the accolades that he’s getting.”
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