There’s something wild about watching a long-standing record start to wobble. It’s like witnessing history stretch at the seams—slow, steady, and then all at once. Hockey’s had its fair share of legends, and over the years, some records felt more like permanent fixtures than milestones. But lately, the chatter’s been getting louder. Not just in the arenas, but across every mic and studio in sports media.
It was April 4, 2025. The Washington Capitals were skating past the Chicago Blackhawks, but the scoreboard wasn’t the only thing heating up—history was hanging in the balance. Then came Alex Ovechkin’s record-tying goal in the power play in the third period. Ovechkin’s goal tied the game at 3-3 (final score 5-3), but the 39-year-old left winger scored his 894th goal to tie Wayne Gretzky for the all-time NHL scoring record.
“I hope it happens tonight. It would be fun. He deserves it in front of the fans.” That’s Gretzky wishing Ovechkin would surpass his all-time NHL scoring record. Unfortunately, the game ended before Ovechkin scored his 895th goal. Fast forward to now, and Alex Ovechkin has created history. On Sunday, Ovechkin scored his 895th career goal and surpassed Gretzky as the NHL’s all-time goal scorer. And now?
Well, the NFL legend Pat McAfee hopped on to Instagram and congratulated Ovechkin while giving a message to Gretzky. “Anytime history is made during an era in which we’re alive is magical.. a record being broken that was seemingly unbreakable is absolutely epic,” McAfee captioned. “CONGRATS TO OVI and THANK YEW, Wayne Gretzky, for the chase.”
Picture this: April 6, 2025, at UBS Arena. The Capitals were battling the Islanders, and the crowd was waiting to witness history. Because, of course, it’s not always that we see someone breaking a once-untouchable record. In the second period, Ovechkin, with his signature power-play one-timer from the left circle, nets his 895th career goal, surpassing Wayne Gretzky’s record.
And right there in the arena? The man himself, on his feet, clapping for the guy who just passed him. Pure goosebumps. And then the NHL legend fulfilled his promise to Alex.
Wayne Gretzky: First one to shake hands with Alex Ovechkin after he broke the record
“Ovi, Ovi, Ovi, Ovi,” a chant of Alex Ovechkin’s name rung in the UBS Arena on Sunday when the 39-year-old Washington Capitals’ captain broke the NHL legend’s record. Ovechkin scored his 895th goal in a road game against the New York Islanders with a slap shot past the Islanders’ goalie, Ilya Sorokin. The Capitals took a 2-1 lead after the goal as the crowd erupted with loud cheers.
Right after that went down, Ovechkin’s teammates surrounded him while Gretzky, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and Ovechkin’s family stood and applauded. And then the game was paused for a moment to celebrate the historic moment as Gretzky congratulated Alex with a speech. “I can tell you first-hand, I know how hard it is to get to 894; 895 is pretty special,” Gretzky told Ovechkin. “My congratulations to not only Alex, his mom and dad, his family, his wife and kids.”
“When I broke the record, my two kids were both the age of his boys, so it’s kind of reminiscent for me. And I’m so happy that two of my boys are here tonight. But there’s nothing better than the National Hockey League. They say records are made to be broken, but I’m not sure who’s going to get more goals than that.” And here’s the interesting part. After congratulating Ovechkin, Gretzky later congratulated the NHL, Bettman, and the league’s officials—and turned to Alex again.
“Alex, I said I’d be the first guy to shake your hand when you broke the record,” Gretzky said. And that was when both the NHL icons exchanged a handshake and a hug. With that being said, April 6, 2025, will now be known as the day when Alex Ovechkin was crowned as hockey’s newly crowned greatest goal scorer. And just like y’all, the whole arena was waiting for Alex’s speech as well.
“What a day, huh? 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 here, and I would obviously never pass the Great One,” Ovechkin said. “Fellas, thank you so much. I love you so much…” All in all, it’s safe to say that just like everyone assumed that Alex Ovechkin would break the record in his 20th season, the man finally did so with the same number of games. 1,487.
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