Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin has tied Wayne Gretzky’s NHL all-time goals record with his 894th goal after he scored twice Friday in the team’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks.
With the Hall of Famer in attendance, Ovechkin entered Friday night’s contest needing three goals to break the record and two to tie it.
The 39-year-old wasted no time in getting on the board, getting a behind-the-net feed from Dylan Strome before firing a one-timer from the circle to beat Blackhawks’ goalkeeper Spencer Nightoff for his 893rd career goal at 3:53 of the first period.
“Oh yeah, everyone’s buzzing right now. Wayne is here, so yeah, it’s a special moment,” Ovechkin told Monumental Sports Network on if he felt the atmosphere of the crowd.
The goal marked the 40th of the season for Ovechkin, becoming the first player in league history with three 40-goal campaigns at age 35 and over.
For most of the game, it seemed as if Ovechkin would have to wait to match Gretzky. A chance in the final minute of the second period appeared like it would draw him level with the historic record but he missed just wide.
A little more than six minutes into the third period, Ovechkin equaled the historic mark, one-timing the feed from John Carlson to tie the Great One.
Play stopped momentarily, with the crowd at Capital One Arena giving the Capitals’ star a standing ovation. Following the goal, Ovechkin skated towards his family, greeting them with high fives. He then skated towards center ice and waved at the crowd.
He was also shown waving at Gretzky and blowing a kiss his way.
As the final horn sounded, the whole Blackhawks team stayed on the ice to congratulate Ovechkin. He then took a lap around the ice, waving to the fans that stayed until the very end of the game.
During the postgame press conference, Ovechkin joked that Gretzky texted him ahead of the game to score three goals and “get it done.”
“It’s a special moment,” Ovechkin said with Greztky sitting alongside him. “It’s great for DC. It’s great for all our fans. Doing it here in Washington, it’s fun. It’s a pleasure to be in that category with those names.”
Ovechkin added it was “nice” to have his family and friends in attendance who came from “many cities.”
Gretzky, who commended Ovechkin for tying his record earlier in the night, said it was “an honor” to be at Capital One Arena to witness the historic moment.
“Alex has been so great for the city of Washington. He’s been so great for the National Hockey League. And he’s encouraged so many kids in his home country of Russia to play the sport of hockey,” Gretzky said.
“He’s been nothing but a champion and I am so proud that we’re tied. I can live with that for another 24 more hours. I can still say I am tied for the most.”
Ovechkin downplayed the desire to tie, and eventually break, the record in front of his home crowd.
“It’s game-by-game, it’s shift-by-shift,” Ovechkin said. “You never know what’s going to happen. We’re just going to continue to feel joy and continue to do our best because we still have like six games left before playoffs. Our mind right now - get ready for playoffs and play the right way in the playoffs.”
Ovechkin turned down a chance to break the record on an empty-net goal, giving it to rookie Ryan Leonard, who ...
