Washington Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin had the perfect one-word response after becoming the NHL’s all-time goals leader on Sunday.
In the second period of Sunday’s road game against the New York Islanders, “The Great Eight” shot a laser past Ilya Sorokin to become the NHL’s career goals king. With 895, Ovechkin broke the record that Wayne Gretzky held for 31 years:
ALEX OVECHKIN IS THE GREATEST GOALSCORER IN NHL HISTORY! 🚨🚨🚨 #Gr8ness pic.twitter.com/NKef3VvNaJ
— NHL (@NHL) April 6, 2025
Never short of epic celebrations and soundbites, a mic’d up Alexander Ovechkin was caught screaming “HISTORY” in joy after lighting the lamp for the 895th time in his illustrious career:
Ovi mic'd up for the RECORD-BREAKING moment 🔊 pic.twitter.com/YfKCetFOOh
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 6, 2025
History, indeed.
The game was paused as Commissioner Gary Bettman congratulated Ovechkin for the milestone moment. Gretzky, who broke the record in March 1994, was also there to celebrate with Ovie part of the ceremonies:
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“I said I’d be the first one to shake your hand when you broke the record.”
— ESPN (@espn) April 6, 2025
Gretzky kept his promise 🤝 pic.twitter.com/Nqnl4EHtsL
When Alexander Ovechkin suffered a fractured fibula in November, it looked as though he’d have to wait another long year to surpass “The Great One.” But the 39-year-old went on a tear after missing 16 games, racking up his 42nd goal in just 61 games to smash the record.
With the record now in his back pocket, Ovechkin can focus on leading the Capitals to their second Stanley Cup championship.
Alexander Ovechkin’s Next Target: 900
It’s unbelievable to think that Ovie would have hit 1,000 career goals by now if he didn’t miss time to lockouts (including the entire 2004-05 season), COVID-19 and injuries.
Up next, Ovechkin will soon become the first player in league history to hit the 900-goal mark. And at this point, who’s to think that someone is going to break Ovechkin’s illustrious goal-scoring record?
