The Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin is the new NHL’s all-time leading scorer. Ovechkin scored the 895th goal of his career in a 4-1 loss to the New York Islanders on Sunday, breaking the tie with the legendary Wayne Gretzky.
Ovechkin broke the record in his 1,487th game in the NHL. Curiously, it is the same number of games that Gretzky played before retiring with a career goal total of 894.
Ovechkin scored the record-breaking goal with a shot from the top of the left circle with 12:34 left in the second period.
The game was paused after the goal to properly honor Ovechkin’s historic achievement. He was treated to a ceremony that included Gretzky and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, who were in attendance, congratulating Ovechkin.
“This is something crazy,” Ovechkin told reporters 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.”
The Capitals selected Alex Ovechkin first overall in the 2004 NHL Draft. He made his NHL debut in 2005–06 and has since become one of the best players the league has ever seen. Over the course of his career, he earned eight First-Team All-Star selections and was named Hart Memorial Trophy recipient three times. Ovechkin also led the Capitals to the Stanley Cup championship in 2018.
While Gretzky ceded his spot as NHL’s all-time leading scorer, he still holds 37 other regular season records. These include career assists (1,963) and career points (2,857), both of which appear safe for the time being.
