Alex Ovechkin Breaks NHL All-Time Scoring Record, Netting 895th Goal

The GR8 Chase is over. Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin tallied his 895th goal on Sunday, making him the top scorer in National Hockey League history and new owner of one of the most hallowed records in sports.

With a second-period power play snipe against the Islanders at UBS Arena, Ovechkin broke the NHL record of 894 goals, held by Wayne Gretzky since 1994 and long considered an impossible bar to clear.

The 39-year-old Ovechkin pursued the mark in a relentless, steady fashion, posting 14 seasons with at least 40 goals over a 20-year career. Even in this current season, Ovechkin ranks third in the league with 42 goals—despite being one of the league’s oldest players and missing more than a month of games with a broken fibula. Ovechkin is also the all-time leader in power play goals.

Following the record-setting goal, play paused with a celebration on the ice, with both the Capitals and Islanders lining up to congratulate Ovechkin. Chants of “Ovi, Ovi” rang out in the packed house as a video celebration of Ovechkin’s career highlights played. In a center-ice ceremony, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, Gretzky, and Capitals owner Ted Leonsis joined Ovechkin.

“What a day, eh?” Ovechkin said. “We did it, boys!” He also thanked fellow Russian Ilya Sorokin for letting in the shot.

On Friday night, the Moscow-born Ovechkin tied the all-time record on home ice with two goals against the Blackhawks in what was his 1,486th regular-season NHL game—one fewer than Gretzky took to notch 894 goals. Secondary-market ticket prices subsequently shot up for Sunday’s game, spiking above $1,000 in some instances, a normally unheard-of sum for a regular-season NHL game.

The GR8 Chase has been a major late-season storyline for the league, which was already riding a resurgent wave of fan interest following the highly successful 4 Nations Face-Off in February. Ovechkin’s pursuit of the record has prompted a series of broadcast shifts to give the Capitals additional national exposure. 

The team’s ownership group, Monumental Sports & Entertainment, also struck a recent agreement with the NHL to allow its regional sports network, Monumental Sports Network, and longtime Capitals play-by-play broadcaster Joe Beninati to call the historic goal—despite Sunday’s game appearing on TNT. Monumental immediately shared a highlight of Beninati’s call across its digital and social platforms, and a full, local production of the game will be replayed later.

Oveckin’s pursuit of history, meanwhile, has added to a historic campaign for the Capitals in which the franchise is celebrating its 50th anniversary this season. The team is also pursuing the Presidents’ Trophy, and entered Sunday’s game just one point behind the league-leading Jets.