The Washington Capitals came into the matchup against the New York Islanders looking for two things: a chance to put themselves into playoff position and to make history. Before the puck was dropped, forward Alex Ovechkin was tied with the great hall-of-fame forward Wayne Gretzky, who held the record for the most goals in a career in the NHL with 894, a record that seemed impossible to reach.
The Islanders had capitalized early in the game, scoring two goals in the first from center Bo Horvat and forward Marc Gatcomb. As the second period rolled around, the Capitals earned themselves a power play. Just as the iconic wrist shot from the left circle has been a staple of Ovechkin’s game since he started his career, often being called his “Office,” Ovechkin netted his 895th career goal, cementing himself forever in NHL history. After the horn sounded, Ovechkin skated to center ice and belly-flopped, with the entirety of the Capitals bench pouring on the ice, swarming the 39-year-old veteran. The game was paused for around 25 minutes for a ceremony. Gretzky was present for the game, fulfilling his promise to be the first person to shake Ovechkin’s hand once he broke the record, just as Gordie Howe had done in 1994 when he did the same to Gretzky.
Ovechkin delivered a heart-felt speech on the ice, thanking his family on getting to where he is today, “Without them, it’s basically, I don’t know if I can reach this milestone.” The Capitals had prepared a video tribute for Ovechkin from when he began his career as part of the team in 2005. Ovechkin hugged each of his teammates and paid homage to other members of other sports who are considered some of the greatest, including Sidney Crosby, Michael Jordan, Lebron James and Michael Phelps, amongst others.
“To be honest with you, I didn’t see it, but the boys told me that lots of great people, great athletes support me and congratulate me. It’s huge,” Ovechkin commented.
After Ovechkin, Gretzky said a few words to the New York crowd, saying “They say records are meant to be broken, but I’m not sure who’s going to get more goals than that.”
Players around the league were cheering for Ovechkin to break the record, with almost every game including a player from the opposing team asking to do a stick swap. Ovechkin enjoys doing swaps with players, not only because he is a collector, but wants other players to do the same. Crosby, a rookie when Ovechkin came into the league, is a fierce rival and competitor to Ovechkin, however, was very emotional when talking about the Capitals legend, stating “It’s awesome for the game of hockey, and I’m loving the fact that I’m playing at this time and get to see it firsthand.”
Despite the momentous achievement by Ovechkin, the Islanders defeated the Capitals 4-1, fueled by two goals by Gatcomb. With Ovechkin’s goal, he scored his 42nd of the season, currently placing him tied for fourth with Boston Bruins forward David Pastrnak and nine goals behind the league leader in Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl. The Capitals have secured the best record in the Metropolitan division, sitting 22 points ahead of the second place Carolina Hurricanes, cementing themselves as the one-seed heading into the playoffs in a few weeks. The Islanders have been eliminated from playoff contention sitting five points out from the battle for the final wildcard spot between the Montreal Canadiens and the Columbus Blue Jackets. The race for 900 is on for Ovechkin and potentially reaching well into the 900s, with his plans to retire after the expiration of his contract after next season. The Capitals played their final game of the season against the Pittsburgh Penguins on April 17. The NHL Playoffs will start on April 19.
