Alex Ovechkin breaks Wayne Gretzky’s NHL all-time career goals record

By Ben Church and Wayne Sterling, CNN

(CNN) — It’s been a long time coming, but Alex Ovechkin can finally call himself the NHL’s all-time leading scorer with number 895 on Sunday.

The 39-year-old overtook Wayne Gretzky’s mark of 894 goals after scoring in the second period in the Washington Capitals 4-1 loss to the New York Islanders in Elmont, New York.

Ovechkin rocketed a wrist shot past goalie and fellow Russian Ilya Sorokin as the left winger’s family and Gretzky looked on at UBS Arena.

It was a power play goal, which was fitting – no one in NHL history has ever scored more power play goals than the Russian ace.

Ovechkin netted his 42nd tally of the season, which is the third most in the league.

The game paused after Ovechkin’s goal for a ceremony to recognize his achievement.

“What a day?” he told the crowd. Ovechkin thanked his teammates, the Capitals organization, coaches, his family, the fans and yes, Sorokin, for letting him get the record.

“It’s a team sport. Without my boys, I would never stand there and obviously I would never pass a great one,” he said. “We did it, boys, we did it.

“Thank you, (Ilya Sorokin) to let me score 895 … and the last thing, all of you fans, for all the world, Russia, we did it, boys, we did it. It’s a history!”

The fans chanted “Ovi! Ovi! Ovi!” after he finished speaking.

Gretzky told the fans he doesn’t think Ovechkin’s record, the one he held for more than 31 years, will be broken.

“We’re here today to celebrate this guy here, number eight. I can tell you firsthand I know how hard it is to get 894. Eight-ninety-five is pretty special,” Gretzky said.

“They say records are made to be broken, but I’m not sure who’s going to get more goals than that.”

Gretzky jokingly told Capitals owner Ted Leonsis when he broke the goals record, he was given a Rolls-Royce and the owner is going to have to think of a gift for his star.

Ovechkin is the 10th player in the league’s 107-year history to hold the all-time goals leader title (either outright or tied). He is the fourth to claim that distinction in the last 72 years, following Gretzky, Gordie Howe and Maurice Richard.

“To reach this milestone and pass Wayne Gretzky, which is something nobody thought possible, truly is special,” Mark Howe, the son of Gordie Howe, said in a statement. “It’s great for you, great for your family and great for the National Hockey League.”

Maurice RIchard Jr., the son of Maurice Richard, added: “On behalf of the Richard family, I would like to congratulate Alex Ovechkin for achieving what everybody thought was impossible: beating Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894 goals.”

Amongst the many who congratulated Ovechkin were 23-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps, six-time Stanley Cup champion Mark Messier, four-time NBA champion LeBron James, seven-time Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles and five-time World Series champion Derek Jeter in a tribute video broadcasted on TNT Sports.

In his 20th NHL season, many had been waiting for him to overtake the record this year. The Russian finally did so having played the same amount of games — 1,487 — that Gretzky managed during his 20-year career.

While many had expected Ovechkin to break the record this season, the broken fibula he sustained in November delayed his march toward what many once considered an unassailable mark. The Capitals star, though, recovered quickly to get back on track.

In March, Ovechkin announced a charity partnership which would see him donate money after every goal he scores until the end of his career to raise funds for pediatric cancer research.

Ovechkin has played all 20 of his NHL seasons with Washington, leading the team to its only Stanley Cup win in 2018. Earlier this year, he joined Gordie Howe as the only NHL players in history to rack up 20 goals in 20 straight seasons.

He has also amassed nine seasons of 50+ goals – including a career-high 65 in 2007-08 –been named an All-Star 12 times, league MVP three times, and in 2017 was honored as one of the best 100 NHL players of all time.

A year later, he lifted the Stanley Cup for the first time as his Capitals dispatched the expansion Las Vegas Golden Knights in five games.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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