Ovechkin ties Gretzky's all-time goals record
Wayne Gretzky, you've got company.
Alex Ovechkin matched The Great One's all-time goals record with his 894th career tally Friday against the Chicago Blackhawks. The goal was his second of the game.
Ovechkin's entire team mobbed him after the goal while a loud ovation from the fans rained down on him. Gretzky was in attendance to witness the historic moment.
"It's something special," Ovechkin said postgame. "Doing it at home, in front of fans, family, friends, and obviously Wayne's here as well. It's a huge honor. It's a historical moment."
He added: "It means a lot. I don't know what to say right now, so emotional. You never thought you could reach (this) milestone."
Ovechkin accomplished the feat in his 1,486th game - amazingly, just one fewer than Gretzky's 1,487 career contests. Gretzky scored his final goal in game No. 1,479.
"This is what the game's all about," Gretzky said after Ovechkin tied his record. "Alex has been great for the game, great for Washington, great for his own country. It's wonderful. I'm very proud of him."
The record-equaling goal was also the 136th game-winning marker of Ovechkin's career, allowing him to pass Jaromir Jagr for the most ever.
Ovechkin had several chances to break the record with a hat trick, registering multiple shots on goal in the final minutes of the third period with the fans on their feet. With Washington leading 4-3 late in the game and Chicago's net empty, Ovechkin didn't take the ice, which he confirmed was by design.
"I (told head coach Spencer Carbery) I don't want empty net (for 895)," he said, per The Associated Press' Stephen Whyno.
Capitals rookie Ryan Leonard ended up scoring an empty-netter for his first career NHL goal.
Breaking the record this year now seems inevitable, though, as Ovechkin has six more games to get another goal before the end of the campaign. Washington returns to action Sunday on the road against the New York Islanders. Ovechkin will have two more chances to break the record on home ice: April 10 against the Carolina Hurricanes and April 13 against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Reaching the milestone this season once appeared to be a tall task, especially after Ovechkin, 39, suffered a broken leg in November that kept him out of the lineup for 16 contests. He has 41 goals in 60 appearances this campaign, making this one of his most productive seasons on a per-game basis.
Ovechkin's best year came in 2007-08 when he set career highs with 65 goals and 112 points in 82 games, taking home the Hart Trophy, Art Ross Trophy, Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy, and the Ted Lindsay Award. He's won the "Rocket" as the league's leading goal-scorer nine times in his 20-year career.
The Great Eight owns NHL records for most power-play goals, most overtime goals, most goalies scored against, and most goals with one team. Ovechkin has spent his entire career with the Capitals after they drafted him No. 1 overall in 2004.
Ovechkin has also scored 72 career playoff goals - the 15th most ever - which don't count toward his record-matching total. He led Washington to its lone Stanley Cup championship in 2018, earning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP with 15 goals and 12 assists in 24 games.