Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin scored goal No. 895 on Sunday, passing Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky to become the NHL’s all-time goal-scoring leader.
Ovechkin, on a pass from longtime teammate Tom Wilson, netted the record breaker in a 4-1 loss to the New York Islanders with a power-play goal past fellow Russian Ilya Sorokin with 12:34 left in the second period of Sunday’s game — the 1,487th game of his career, the same as Gretzky’s career total.
“This is something crazy,” Ovechkin said after the game. “I’m probably going to need a couple more days. Maybe a couple weeks to realize what it means to be No. 1.
“All I can say: I’m very proud. I’m very proud for myself. I’m really proud for my family, for all my teammates, that helped me to reach that milestone, and for all my coaches. It’s huge. It’s an unbelievable moment.”
With Gretzky and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman in attendance, the game came to a standstill as players and fans celebrated the historic moment.