NEW YORK — Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin scored goal No. 895 on Sunday, passing Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky to become the NHL’s all-time goal-scoring leader.
Ovechkin, on a pass from longtime teammate Tom Wilson, netted the record breaker in a 4-1 loss to the New York Islanders with a power-play goal past fellow Russian Ilya Sorokin with 12:34 left in the second period of Sunday’s game — the 1,487th game of his career, the same as Gretzky’s career total.
“This is something crazy,” Ovechkin said after the game. “I’m probably going to need a couple more days. Maybe a couple weeks to realize what it means to be No. 1.
“All I can say: I’m very proud. I’m very proud for myself. I’m really proud for my family, for all my teammates, that helped me to reach that milestone, and for all my coaches. It’s huge. It’s an unbelievable moment.”
With Gretzky and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman in attendance, the game came to a standstill as players and fans celebrated the historic moment.
“They say that records are made to be broken, but I’m not sure who’s going to get more goals than that,” Gretzky said before shaking Ovechkin’s hand.
When Casey Cizikas took a tripping penalty seven minutes into the second period, the arena echoed with chants of “Ovi! Ovi!” from the considerable number of Capitals fans who attended the Islanders home game.
Ovechkin ripped his shot from the top of the left circle — aka the “Ovi spot” where he has scored the majority of the goals in his career. He turned and did a belly slide over the blue line into the neutral zone as his teammates hopped over the boards in celebration.
It was his 42nd goal of the season, which is second only to Gordie Howe (44 in 1968-69) for a player aged 39 or older.
A sight we’ve seen 894 times before this and each and every single time has been in a Capitals sweater.
Thank you, O!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/NgDK9EZopG
— x – Washington Capitals (@Capitals) April 6, 2025
Ovechkin eventually skated to center ice and applauded the crowd and then pointed to the sky with his gloves, a gesture he has made in the past to honor departed loved ones.
He skated over to the Capitals bench and hugged coaches and staff members while arena workers walked carpets out to the ice for the ceremony — including one with “Alex Ovechkin — 895” on it. They also set up a specially commissioned painting from Canadian artist Tony Harris that featured Ovechkin and Gretzky.
The Islanders got into a handshake line to congratulate Ovechkin, while his Capitals teammates wore special edition hats to commemorate the moment.
A video played that chronicled Ovechkin’s goal-scoring journey, featuring congratulations from NHL legends, including Jaromir Jagr, Brett Hull and Phil Esposito, as well as former Capitals teammates, such as center Nicklas Backstrom.
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It ended with his mother, Tatyana Ovechkin, telling Alex, “Your dad would be so proud.” Mikhail Ovechkin died in 2023 at 71.
Tatyana Ovechkin joined Alex’s wife, Nastya, and his children, Sergei and Ilya, on the ice for the ceremony. Wilson and John Carlson skated over to give them flowers during the ceremony.
“I mean, it makes me a little bit emotional, just because I think so much of him,” Wilson said after the game about the assist on Ovechkin’s goal. “To be able to be beside him forever on a big goal, I feel very lucky. I feel very honored to be a part of that.”
Bettman, Gretzky and his wife Janet, and Capitals owner Ted Leonsis also took part in the on-ice celebration.
“Wayne, you’ll always be ‘The Great One,’ and you had a record that nobody ever thought would be broken,” Bettman said as he addressed both Gretzky and Ovechkin. “But Alex, you did it. You’ve been amazing.”
As Ovechkin’s teammates gathered together on the carpets for a photo, he turned to address them.
“I’ve always said, all the time, it’s a team sport,” Ovechkin said. “… Fellas, thank you very much. I love you so much.”
The 25-minute ceremony ended with another video featuring an eclectic mix of star athletes and celebrities offering congratulations: Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Derek Jeter, Michael Phelps, Simone Biles, Roger Federer, Jayden Daniels, Cody Rhodes, Sidney Crosby, Snoop Dogg, Vince Vaughn and Danny DeVito among them.
Ovechkin had never scored on Sorokin before, making his countryman the 183rd different goaltender he has beaten.
Ovechkin tied Gretzky’s record Friday with two tallies in a 5-3 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. He chose not to go out on the ice after the Blackhawks pulled their goalie late in the third for a possible hat trick, saying later, “I don’t want an empty net” when he sets the record.
GretzkyOvechkinGoals894895Games1,4871,487Led NHL in goals5 times9 timesMost in season92 (’81-82)65 (’07-08)20-goal seasons172030-goal seasons141940-goal seasons121450-goal seasons9960-goal seasons51– ESPN Research
His pursuit of the goals record has spanned his extraordinary 20-year NHL career, all of it with the Capitals. He won the Rocket Richard Trophy as the NHL’s regular-season goal-scoring leader nine times. He captured the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP three times (2008, ’09, ’13) and the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in leading the Capitals to their first Stanley Cup championship in 2018.
Ovechkin is the NHL’s all-time leader in power-play goals (325) and overtime goals (27) and passed Jagr for the most winning goals after tallying his 136th on Friday. He has scored 50 more power-play goals than Hall of Famer Dave Andreychuk, who is second on the list. More than 210 of Ovechkin’s power-play goals were scored from the Ovi spot near the left faceoff circle.
Gretzky captured the goals record on March 23, 1994, as a member of the Los Angeles Kings. His 802nd goal surpassed the career mark of his idol, Gordie Howe. The game against the Vancouver Canucks was stopped for a 15-minute ceremony. Gretzky retired in 1999 with 894 goals, a career total that few in the NHL believed would ever be surpassed — until Ovechkin arrived.
“I always said that if there’s any guy who could do it, it’s him,” said Backstrom, currently injured, who assisted on more Ovechkin goals than any other teammate from 2007 to 2023. “Sometimes, it just seems like the puck finds him, and he’s got that ability to put it in the net like no one else.”
The Capitals won the 2004 NHL draft lottery to select Ovechkin first overall. The Moscow native won the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year in 2005-06 with 52 goals, as his buoyant personally revitalized the franchise. By the end of his 10th NHL season, having yet to turn 30 years old, Ovechkin had amassed 475 goals in 760 games.
Gretzky told NHL.com in 2016 that if Ovechkin sustained that pace “there’s no question in my mind” he could set a new career goals record.
“The first 500 are the easy ones,” Gretzky said. “It’s the next 500, when you’re getting a little bit older and your body is a little bit worn down — the travel and physical part of the game catches up to you.”
Ovechkin entered this season needing 42 goals to pass Gretzky, and he wasted no time. The Capitals captain scored 15 goals in his first 18 games, the hottest goal-scoring start of his career and an unprecedented feat for a 39-year-old in the NHL. His season took an unexpected turn on Nov. 18, when Ovechkin broke his left fibula in a game against Utah. But the “Russian Machine,” as he has been called for his stamina and good health, returned ahead of schedule — and scored a goal — on Dec. 28, after missing 16 games.
Ovechkin’s record hunt captivated the hockey world during the final weeks of the regular season. It was branded “The GR8 Chase” by the NHL. Game broadcasts introduced alternate feeds that focused only on Ovechkin. In Washington, goal counters were added inside Capital One Arena and in Union Market District. Gretzky, Bettman, Leonsis and Nastya Ovechkin began following the team from arena to arena.
Ovechkin, meanwhile, used his record pursuit to raise funds for pediatric cancer research, donating an amount equal to his goal total for every goal he scores during the remainder of his career and encouraging fans to contribute on a per-goal basis as well.
