Ovechkin nets No. 895, is NHL's goal-scoring king

NEW YORK -- Washington Capitals prima Alex Ovechkin scored extremity No. 895 connected Sunday, passing Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky to go the NHL's all-time extremity scoring leader.

Ovechkin netted the record-breaker against the New York Islanders connected a power-play extremity with 12:34 near successful the 2nd play of Sunday's crippled -- the 1,487th of his career; the aforesaid arsenic Gretzky's vocation total.

With Gretzky and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman successful attendance, the crippled came to a standstill arsenic players and fans marked the historical moment.

Ovechkin tied Gretzky's record Friday with 2 tallies successful a 5-3 triumph implicit the Chicago Blackhawks. He chose not to spell retired connected the crystal aft the Blackhawks pulled their goalie precocious successful the 3rd for a imaginable chapeau trick, saying later, "I don't privation an bare net" erstwhile helium sets the record.

Ovechkin's pursuit of the all-time goals grounds has spanned his bonzer 20-year NHL career, each of it with the Washington Capitals. He won the Rocket Richard Trophy arsenic the NHL's regular-season goal-scoring person 9 times. He captured the Hart Trophy arsenic NHL MVP 3 times (2008, '09, '13) and the Conn Smythe Trophy arsenic playoff MVP successful starring the Capitals to their archetypal Stanley Cup title successful 2018.

Ovechkin is the NHL's all-time person successful power-play goals (325 successful 1,487 games) and overtime goals and passed Jaromir Jagr for astir game-winning goals aft tallying with 136th connected Friday. He has scored 50 much power-play goals than Hall of Famer Dave Andreychuk, who is 2nd each time. More than 210 of Ovechkin's power-play goals were scored from the "Ovi Spot" adjacent the near faceoff circle, arsenic it has travel to beryllium known.

Gretzky captured the goals grounds connected March 23, 1994, arsenic a subordinate of the Los Angeles Kings. His 802nd vocation extremity surpassed his idol Gordie Howe's vocation mark. The crippled against the Vancouver Canucks was stopped for a 15-minute ceremony. Gretzky retired successful 1999 with 894 goals successful 1,487 NHL regular-season games, a vocation full that fewer successful the NHL believed would ever beryllium surpassed -- until Ovechkin arrived.

"I ever said that if there's immoderate feline who could bash it, it's him," said Capitals halfway Nicklas Backstrom, presently injured, who assisted connected much Ovechkin goals than immoderate different teammate from 2007 to 2023. "Sometimes, it conscionable seems similar the puck finds him, and he's got that quality to enactment it successful the nett similar nary 1 else."

The Capitals won the 2004 NHL draught lottery to prime Ovechkin archetypal overall. The Moscow autochthonal won the Calder Trophy arsenic NHL rookie of the twelvemonth successful 2005-06 with 52 goals, arsenic his buoyant personally revitalized the franchise. By the extremity of his 10th NHL season, having yet to crook 30 years old, Ovechkin had amassed 475 goals successful 760 games.

Gretzky told NHL.com successful 2016 that if Ovechkin sustained that gait "there's nary question successful my mind" helium could acceptable a caller vocation goals record.

"The archetypal 500 are the casual ones," Gretzky said. "It's the adjacent 500, erstwhile you're getting a small spot older and your assemblage is simply a small spot worn down -- the question and carnal portion of the crippled catches up to you."

Ovechkin entered this play needing 42 goals to walk Gretzky and wasted nary time. The Capitals skipper scored 15 goals successful his archetypal 18 games, the hottest goal-scoring commencement of his vocation and an unprecedented feat for a 39-year-old successful the NHL. His play took an unexpected crook connected Nov. 18, erstwhile Ovechkin broke his near fibula successful a crippled against Utah. But the "Russian Machine," arsenic helium has been called for his stamina and bully health, returned up of schedule -- and scored a extremity -- connected Dec. 28, aft missing 16 games.

The Ovechkin grounds hunt captivated the hockey satellite during the last weeks of the regular season. It was branded "The GR8 Chase" by the NHL. Game broadcasts introduced alternate feeds that focused lone connected Ovechkin. In Washington, D.C., extremity counters were added wrong Capital One Arena and successful Union Market District. Gretzky, commissioner Gary Bettman, Capitals proprietor Ted Leonsis and Ovechkin's woman Nastya began pursuing the squad from arena to arena.

Ovechkin, meanwhile, utilized his grounds pursuit to raise funds for pediatric crab research, donating an magnitude adjacent to his extremity full for each extremity helium scores during the remainder of his vocation and encouraging fans to lend connected a per-goal ground arsenic well.