Alex Ovechkin could not have timed his record-breaking goal any better than this.
Ovechkin is now the NHL's leader in career goals scored after putting up his 895th career goal on Sunday versus the New York Islanders. The goal now puts him ahead of Wayne Gretzky, who had held the NHL career goals record since 1999. It's a record not many thought would be touched, but Ovechkin's tenacity in the face of lockouts, missed seasons and injury scares made this incredible moment possible.
And goal No. 895 was truly a sight to behold. Between Ovechkin's reaction and the celebrations after, it was a wonderful way to cap the moment.
Now that the adrenaline has died down, people are starting to take stock of the moment and what it means for NHL history. Wildly enough, Ovechkin timed his record-breaking goal perfectly, even down to the game. You see, Ovechkin scored goal No. 895 in his 1,487th career NHL game, the exact same amount of games it took for Gretzky to score his final NHL goal — No. 894 — back in 1999.
Not only that, Ovechkin and Gretzky both scored their goals against the Islanders too!
Alex Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky's record in the same amount of games 🤯 pic.twitter.com/FlXfzEdsok
— ESPN (@espn) April 6, 2025
How about this?
— x - Washington Capitals (@Capitals) April 6, 2025
Not only did the #Gr8 score his 895th goal in the same amount of games (1,487) as The Great One reached 894, but they both did it against the same opponent. #Gr8nesspic.twitter.com/PtuUxl4pHC
Talk about incredible, historic serendipity right there. Wow!
This article originally appeared on For ...
