With his 895th career goal, Alex Ovechkin of Russia has surpassed the great Wayne Gretzky’s 31-year milestone to become the National Hockey League’s all-time top scorer.
Gordie Howe’s 1994 record was surpassed by Gretzky, a member of the Canadian Hall of Fame.
Gretzky was present when Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals scored the game-winning goal against the New York Islanders on Sunday.
As players and spectators recognized the historic occasion, the game was halted for over twenty minutes.
Gretzky, a four-time Stanley Cup winner and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, joined Ovechkin, saying: “I can tell you first hand, I know how hard it is to get 894 – [so] 895 is pretty special.”
“They say records are made to be broken but I’m not sure who’s gonna get more goals than that.”
After completing a lap of the arena and celebrating with his teammates, Ovechkin shook hands with his Islanders opponents before his family joined him.
“What a moment for hockey, what a moment for myself,” Ovechkin was able to say.
“At last, nobody will question me about “when you’re gonna do it.” It’s finished now.
Ovechkin, who was born in Moscow, also celebrated the accomplishment on social media, with posts from the Russian Olympic Committee and Kirill Dmitriev, the economic envoy of Russian President Vladimir Putin, among others.
His accomplishment is especially noteworthy considering that his season was cut short by a broken leg in November. On Friday, during the Capitals’ 4-3 victory over the Chicago Black Hawks, Ovechkin tied with Gretzky.
