Alexander Ovechkin breaks Wayne Gretzky's NHL scoring record as Capitals legend nets his 895th career goal

Alex Ovechkin is the top scorer successful hockey past astatine 895 goals... and counting.

The Russian icon and franchise cornerstone of the Washington Capitals surpassed Wayne Gretzky’s people of 894 vocation goals during Sunday’s matinee against the New York Islanders. Remarkably, Ovechkin acceptable the caller grounds successful 1,487 games – the aforesaid fig Gretzky played implicit his illustrious career.

The grounds fell connected Ovechkin's powerfulness play extremity aboriginal successful the 2nd play erstwhile helium took the puck atop the near ellipse and fired a slap changeable by the Islanders' Ilya Sorokin, who had ne'er yielded a extremity to 'Oli' until Sunday afternoon. The extremity chopped New York's pb to 2-1 astatine the 7:26 people of the 2nd period. 

Naturally, the crippled was stopped truthful some Capitals and Islanders fans could ablution the 39-year-old with applause. Ovechkin slapped a precocious 5 with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, hugged teammates and coaches, earlier a loving clasp with his wife, Anastasia, and sons, Sergei and Ilya. 

Gretzky was, erstwhile again, connected manus for the historical moment, conscionable arsenic helium was for Ovechkin's 894th extremity earlier successful the week successful Washington. Similarly, Detroit Red Wings fable Gordie Howe was a unrecorded witnesser erstwhile Gretzky broke his goals grounds backmost successful 1994. 

This clip Gretzky was joined by his exemplary wife, Janet Jones, and Bettman successful a VIP container astatine the Islanders' UBS Arena, arsenic good arsenic FBI director Kash Patel. 

'Alex, you did it,' Bettman said during the mid-game ceremony. 'You person been amazing.... Thank you for each you person fixed the game.'

After winning 3 Hart Trophies, an Art-Ross Trophy, 9 Rocket Richard Trophies, earning 12 All-Star appearances, and having his sanction engraved connected the Stanley Cup, Ovechkin added to his fable by matching arguably the astir important grounds successful NHL past for his own. 

Ovechkin's NHL vocation got disconnected to a spot of a mendacious start. He was the No. 1 wide prime successful the 2004 NHL Entry Draft by the Capitals, lone for his archetypal play to beryllium delayed a twelvemonth owed to a lockout.

When helium did arrive, helium did truthful with style. In his debut with the Caps, Ovechkin scored 2 goals against Pascal Leclaire successful a 3-2 triumph implicit the Columbus Blue Jackets.

He'd gain his archetypal NHL chapeau instrumentality connected January 13 successful a crippled against the Anaheim Ducks - scoring goals No. 28, 29, and 30 successful his career.

The adjacent game, a roadworthy crippled against the Wayne Gretzky-coached Phoenix Coyotes, Ovechkin scored arguably the top extremity successful the past of the NHL.

In a series wherever words cannot accurately represent the majesty of the action, Ovechkin raced up ice, deked astir a Coyotes defenseman, and mislaid his borderline - falling to the ice. 

As helium fell onto his back, helium managed to get the backside of his instrumentality leaf connected the puck and shoved it toward the unfastened extremity rima - which it slid consecutive into.

That season, helium won the Calder Trophy - fixed to the apical rookie successful the league - arsenic helium bushed retired vocation rival Sidney Crosby for the honor.  

Ovechkin deed 100 goals connected October 12, 2007 successful a crippled against the New York Rangers. Just implicit 2 years later, he'd walk 200 goals against the Los Angeles Kings successful February of 2009. 

Two years aft that, successful April 2011, he'd deed 300 against the New Jersey Devils. Goal No. 400 arrived successful December 2013 against the Carolina Hurricanes.

It took a small implicit 2 years aft that to deed 500 - doing truthful successful January 2016 against the Ottawa Senators.

He became the 20th subordinate successful NHL past to transverse the 600 extremity threshold connected March 12, 2018 against the Winnipeg Jets. Just weeks earlier a planetary pandemic halted the sports world, connected February 22, 2020, Ovechkin scored vocation extremity 700 against the Devils.

Then, extremity No. 800 came against the Chicago Blackhawks connected December 13, 2022 - giving him a wide nonsubjective which helium achieved today.

Of his present grounds fig of goals, lone 72 person travel successful the playoffs - putting him atop the database of progressive players but 15th wide and 50 down Gretzky. 

Ovechkin's vocation runs the array of occurrence successful the National Hockey League.

He won the Rocket Richard Trophy - fixed to the apical goal-scorer successful the league successful a play - 9 times. Ovechkin besides claimed the Art Ross Trophy - fixed to the subordinate with the astir points successful a play - backmost successful 2008.

His peers named him MVP of the league successful 3 consecutive seasons - with Ovechkin winning what is present called the Ted Lindsay Award successful 2008, 2009, and 2010. He was named MVP of the league by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association 3 times arsenic good - taking the Hart Trophy successful 2008, 2009, and 2013.

But for decades, the eventual prize successful hockey - the Stanley Cup - eluded him.

Ovechkin has made the playoffs successful each but 5 seasons successful his NHL vocation - his archetypal two, the 13-14 season, and the 22-23 season.

Up until the 2017-18 season, the Capitals ne'er adjacent reached the Eastern Conference Finals with their all-time top player. Across his vocation until that point, Ovechkin reached the 2nd circular six times - losing erstwhile to the Tampa Bay Lightning, doubly to the New York Rangers, and a achy 3 times to the rival Pittsburgh Penguins.

But successful that 17-18 season, helium yet overcame his foe by beating the Pens successful the 2nd circular successful six games.

Ovechkin past went connected to triumph the Eastern Conference Finals for the archetypal clip ever, beating the Lightning successful 7 games to scope the pinnacle of the sport: the Stanley Cup Finals.

Against the Vegas Golden Knights, past successful their archetypal season, the Capitals made casual enactment of the debutants - winning the deciding crippled 4-3 to triumph the franchise's archetypal ever Stanley Cup and breaking a rubric drought for Washington, DC's 'Big Four' pro sports teams that lasted 27 years.

Ovechkin was awarded the Conn-Smythe Trophy arsenic the astir invaluable subordinate for that season's playoffs.

In the seasons since, the Capitals person made six playoff appearances and mislaid each of them successful the archetypal round.