In a moment that will be etched into the NHL history books forever, Alex Ovechkin officially surpassed Wayne Gretzky on Sunday afternoon to become the league’s all-time leading goal scorer. The monumental goal—his 895th—came during the second period of the Washington Capitals' matchup against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena.
Family, friends, NHL legends, and even Wayne Gretzky himself were in the crowd, and probably, no situation could have faced more pressure than this. However, he has done it before, and he did it again last night-thefpresumably great "Great 8."
The Record-Breaking Goal
It was a very typical game for the famous Ovi. Instead, on a power play in the second period, Tom Wilson received the puck, and Ovechkin stroked the ball, making an injury-targeting wrist shot past the goaltender, Ilya Sorokin. The arena went wild and cheers erupted both on and off the ice.
The numbers were not important; it mattered why all the aforementioned events happened; it mattered how a life was dedicated to greatness at this time. And while the cheering fans rushed towards him and his teammates surrounded him, the great Ovechkin took the microphone to thank and pour out his emotions.
Ovechkin’s Emotional Speech
Speaking during the on-ice ceremony, Ovechkin delivered heartfelt words that underlined the team-first mindset that’s defined his career.
"What a day, huh? Like I always say all the time, 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," Ovechkin said.
"So, fellows, thank you very much. I love you so much, and I know Nicklas Backstrom here, T. J. Oshie, fellas, I love you. We did it, boys. We did it."
Then, in a light-hearted moment, he added:
"
"Thank you, Ilya Sorokin, to let me score 895. I love you, brother."
Thank you, Ilya Sorokin, to let me score 895. I love you, brother."
Ovechkin also gave a shoutout to his fans around the world, particularly back home in Russia, and ended with a touching message to his family:
"The last thing, all of you fans for a whole world, Russian, we did it, boys. We did it. It's a history. The most important thing to my mom, my family, my beautiful wife, my father-in-law, my beautiful kids. Thank you. I love you so much. And without you, without your support, I would never stand here. So love you guys."
With Friends & Legends
The occasion was also special because past teammates Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie were there, celebrating with Ovechkin's family and Capitals staff. This was perhaps an important reminder of all those wonderful bonds and chemistry that have been a source of inspiration for all of Ovi's rise-from being that young phenomenon to becoming the most prolific NHL goal scorer today.
Ovi's Red-Hot Season Continues
Ovechkin has shown electric form during 2024-25, scoring 69 points (42 goals, 27 assists) in 61 games. He rounded off a double sprint to history with six goals in his last five outings.
What is more exciting is that after missing 16 games of the season due to a broken fibula, this is really something that might have delayed the inevitable but certainly did not stop it. Indeed, Ovi's comeback has been an exhibition of pure determination and old-fashioned brilliance in action.