Alex Ovechkin officially stands alone as the NHL's all-time leading goal-scorer, passing Wayne Gretzky with his 895th career goal Sunday against the New York Islanders.
The giant moment was a cause for celebration, as the game paused in the second period for a ceremony to honor Ovechkin and allow Gretzky a moment to congratulate the man who eclipsed his record. During that ceremony, fans noticed Gretzky wore a No. 9 pin on the lapel of his jacket, which may have left some wondering what it represented. Let me tell you now, it's not because The Great One plus The Great 8 equals nine.
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Gretzky wore that pin in honor of the late Gordie Howe, who owned the goals record before Gretzky. Howe was there in 1994 to shake Gretzky's hand when he broke the record, the same way Gretzky was there for Ovechkin Sunday.
Wayne Gretzky wore a Gordie Howe pin to Alex Ovechkin’s record-breaking game.
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) April 6, 2025
Gretzky’s wife gave Ovechkin’s wife a gift because Colleen Howe did that for her decades ago. pic.twitter.com/KeMLwmgieG
“When I was breaking Gordie Howe’s record, he was there. And I said 2 years ago that if Alex gets close to my record, I’ll be here.”
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 5, 2025
Wayne Gretzky is in DC to continue to pass down hockey’s legacy 🔥 pic.twitter.com/x8GsIGCsHh
That's a nice touch.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Why Wayne Gretzky wore a No. 9 pin to Alex Ovechkin’s record-breaking game
