Alex Ovechkin breaks Wayne Gretzky’s NHL all-time targets report – NBC4 Washington

Shortly after Wayne Gretzky grew to become the NHL’s all-time main objective scorer in 1994, his father talked about how somebody, sometime, would break his report.

“I checked out my dad,” Gretzky just lately recalled, “and mentioned, ‘Effectively can I get pleasure from this for only a couple days?'”

Gretzky loved holding the report for greater than 30 years – after which that somebody appeared, and that sometime arrived.

It was Alex Ovechkin on April 6, 2025.

The date will without end be etched in historical past because the day the Washington Capitals star scored his 895^th profession objective to interrupt Gretzky’s report and turn into the highest objective scorer in league historical past.

The 39-year-old Ovechkin netted the record-breaking objective Sunday in the course of the Capitals’ sport towards the New York Islanders at UBS Enviornment on Lengthy Island. He scored on the ability play with 12:34 remaining within the second interval, firing a one-timer off a feed from longtime teammate Tom Wilson previous Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin to ship the 1000’s of Capitals followers among the many 17,000-plus in attendance right into a raucous celebration.

Ovechkin reached 895 targets in his 1,487th sport — the identical variety of video games Gretzky performed in his NHL 20-year profession.

After scoring the objective, Ovechkin celebrated by sliding in the direction of middle ice on his abdomen earlier than he was mobbed by teammates.

The sport was paused for a ceremony that marked the completion of what has been dubbed “The GR8 Chase.”

Gretzky, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and Ovechkin’s household joined Ovechkin on the ice.

“They are saying information are made to be damaged,” Gretzky mentioned in the course of the ceremony, “however I am undecided who’s going to get extra targets than that.”

Data positive are made to be damaged, however greatness is never anticipated to be matched. And but, “The Nice One” himself is now second best on the league’s most hallowed statistical listing.

Ovechkin’s climb to the highest required longevity, consistency and availability – all of which he has supplied since being chosen first general within the 2004 draft.

In his NHL debut on Oct. 5, 2005, he scored the primary two targets of what can be a 52-goal season, the third-most ever scored by an NHL rookie.

Ovechkin, throughout his third season, scored a profession greatest 65 targets. He has recorded 9 50-plus objective seasons, matching the report shared by Gretzky and Islanders legend Mike Bossy. He has scored 40 or extra targets in a season 14 instances, which topped Gretzky’s report of 12.

Alex Ovechkin milestone targets

• First — Oct. 5, 2005
• 100^th — Oct. 12, 2007
• 200^th — Feb. 5, 2009
• 300^th — April 5, 2011
• 400^th — Dec. 20, 2013
• 500^th — Jan. 10, 2016
• 600^th — March 12, 2018
• 700^th — Feb. 22, 2020
• 800^th — Dec. 13, 2022
• 894^th — April 4, 2025
• 895^th — April 6, 2025

Ovechkin received 9 Rocket Richard Trophies for many targets scored in a season, three Hart Trophies as most dear participant, and the 2017 Stanley Cup, which was the primary in Capitals franchise historical past.

With every objective alongside the best way, he inched nearer to greatness.

Gretzky had held the targets report since 1994 when he tallied his 802nd objective on March 23, 1994 to cross Detroit Purple Wings legend Gordie Howe. Gretzky, who performed primarily for the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings, scored his 894th and ultimate objective got here on March 29, 1999, as a member of the New York Rangers. He retired three weeks later on the age of 38, holding 61 NHL information on the time, together with most profession assists (1,963) and factors (2,857), each of which nonetheless comfortably stand.

His targets report outlasted many Corridor of Famers who took purpose however fell quick — with Jaromir Jagr scoring 766 targets earlier than retiring in 2018 and Brett Hull netting 741 targets earlier than closing his 19-year profession in 2006.

Ovechkin in December 2022 grew to become simply the third participant in league historical past to succeed in 800 profession targets, becoming a member of Gretzky and Howe. He started his twentieth NHL season in October needing 42 targets to prime a report as soon as believed to be unbreakable. He missed 16 video games earlier this season with a fractured left fibula, pushing the report pursuit nearer to the tip of the season.

Ovechkin entered Sunday having scored in 4 consecutive video games. He scored twice on Friday towards the Chicago Blackhawks, together with profession objective No. 894 to tie Gretzky’s report complete.

He broke it with simply 5 video games remaining for the Capitals within the common season.

“Wayne, you’ll all the time be the ‘Nice One’ and also you had a report that no person ever thought can be damaged,” Bettman mentioned in the course of the in-game ceremony. “However Alex, you probably did it. You’ve been wonderful.”

Ovechkin will now look to turn into the primary NHL participant to attain 900 profession targets, a membership he’ll stay the only real member of for fairly a while, if not completely.

Till – after all – somebody, sometime comes alongside.

Listed below are 5 issues to find out about Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin.