Washington Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin made history by scoring his career 895th NHL goal on Sunday to break the all-time record held by Wayne Gretzky for 31 years.
Ovechkin’s goal – his 42nd of the season – came in the second period against the New York Islanders as the 39-year-old Russian fired in from a distance with his wife and Gretzky in the crowd.
The milestone topped an incredible run for Ovechkin, who began the season 41 goals behind Gretzky after scoring his fewest-ever goals – 31- last season.
Despite only managing two goals in his first seven games of this season, Ovechkin scored 13 in his next 11 games before he suffered a broken leg.
Ovechkin, who entered the league in 2005, also owns the National Hockey League’s (NHL) records for power-play goals, shots on goal, and the most goalkeepers scored against.
Ovechkin’s goal marked the end for Gretzky’s reign as the NHL’s top goal-scorer but also began his own, with 37-year-old Sidney Crosby ranked behind him with 622 goals to his name.
Canadian Gretzky, widely regarded as the greatest ice hockey player of all time, had held the record since passing Gordie Howe in 1994.
Ovechkin has been with the Capitals since being the first overall pick in the 2004 NHL draft and helped the Washington franchise win the Stanley Cup for the first time in 2018.
Gretzky, a four-time Stanley Cup champion with the Edmonton Oilers in the 1980s, remains the leading point scorer in NHL history, having tallied 1,963 assists alongside his 894 goals for a total of 2,857 points.