Russia’s Ovechkin Passes Gretzky, Becomes NHL’s All-Time Goal Scoring Leader

Alexander Ovechkin etched his name in hockey history, surpassing Wayne Gretzky to become the National Hockey League’s (NHL) all-time leading goal scorer, according to Al Jazeera.

Ovechkin netted his 895th career goal in the second period of the Washington Capitals’ 4-1 loss to the New York Islanders, breaking a tie with “The Great One” himself.

Despite the Capitals’ defeat, the night belonged to Ovechkin.

The record-breaking goal occurred seven minutes into the second period during a Capitals power play. Ovechkin, positioned on the left side of the ice, received a pass from longtime teammate Tom Wilson and unleashed a wrist shot from the face-off circle that beat Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin.

The sellout crowd of 17,250 at UBS Arena, many clad in Capitals jerseys, erupted in celebration. Ovechkin raised his arms in triumph, skated a few strides, and then performed a bellyflop on the ice as the roar of the crowd intensified. He reached the milestone in his 1,487th career game, matching the number of NHL games Gretzky played.

Teammates mobbed Ovechkin at center ice as the scoreboard displayed a graphic proclaiming, “895 NHL ALL-TIME GOALS LEADER ALEX OVECHKIN.” A video montage of Ovechkin’s milestone goals followed, and a blue carpet was rolled out to reveal a commemorative painting of “The Great 8” raising the Stanley Cup in 2018. The tribute concluded with messages from Ovechkin’s wife, Anastasia, their two children, and his mother, Tatyana, who joined him at center ice for the celebration.

The Islanders players remained on the ice to acknowledge the achievement, tapping their sticks as a sign of respect. Ovechkin exchanged handshakes with the Islanders skaters and hugged netminder Ilya Sorokin. He also embraced New York coach Patrick Roy, a former NHL goaltending legend himself.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Wayne Gretzky both spoke during the ceremony, with Gretzky and his wife, Janet, presenting Ovechkin’s wife with a gift. The gesture mirrored a similar moment in 1994, when Gordie Howe’s wife presented Janet Gretzky with a gift after Gretzky surpassed Howe on the all-time scoring list.

While Marc Gatcomb scored his first career two-goal game and Bo Horvat and Jean-Gabriel Pageau also tallied for the Islanders, the victory was overshadowed by Ovechkin’s historic achievement. Goalie Ilya Sorokin stopped 28 of 29 shots for the Islanders, who remain five points behind the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference wild-card race. Charlie Lindgren recorded 18 saves for the Capitals, who have lost five of their last seven games.

Ovechkin’s pursuit of Gretzky was fittingly completed with a power-play goal, adding to his already impressive NHL record of 325 career power-play goals.