Alex Ovechkin confirms refusal to break NHL scoring record on an empty net chance

What a night it was for Alex Ovechkin, as he scored the 894th goal of his career. With that, the Washington Capitals star is tied with Wayne Gretzky for the most goals scored in NHL history.

On Friday night, Ovechkin scored two goals against the Chicago Blackhawks. Of course, the record was broken on a power play with Ovechkin standing in his "office," aka the offensive zone. Even with the two goals, there was still plenty of time remaining in the third period. But there was a prime chance for Ovechkin to break the record, and that was in the closing moments of the game, when the Blackhawks pulled goaltender Spencer Knight from the net for the extra skater. But Oveckhin was nowhere near the ice, instead sitting on the bench.

The game broadcast and reporters hinted that Oveckhin turned down coach Spencer Carbery's request to go on the ice for the empty net opportunity.

After the game, Oveckhin was asked about the end of the game with a prime chance to break the record at home in front of the hockey world. Ovechkin confirmed what the broadcast and reporters were hinting at, and said that he told Carbery that he didn't want to break the NHL's scoring record on an empty net shot.

"I told [Carbery] right away I don't want to do it," said Ovechkin. "[Dylan Strome] asked me. [John Carlson] asked me. Everybody asked me 'you want it? You want it?' I said, let's wait."

Alex Ovechkin confirms he had no desire to break NHL scoring record on empty net chance

Ovechkin wanted absolutely no part of it. Instead, he opted to wait another day to do so.

As Ovechkin mentioned in the video above, this allowed Ryan Leonard to score his first-ever NHL goal. Leonard was a 2023 eight-overall pick by the Capitals, and earlier signed his entry-level contract with the team after Boston College's season ended. Now, in just his third game, Leonard has his first career goal. Ovechkin said Leonard has a bright future, and he got what was his first of potentially many goals.

Ovechkin scored his 894th goal in his 1,486th career game, one less than it took Gretzky to do it. Now, his 1,487th game could be the soonest he can break the record that has stood since 1999.

How many empty net goals does Alex Ovechkin have?

As of Friday night, Ovechkin has scored 65 empty net goals in his career. That just so happens to be the most ever scored by an NHL player in history. The previous record was held by, you guessed it, Gretzky, who scored 56.

Ovechkin broke the record back on Feb. 10, 2024, in a 3-0 win over the Boston Bruins. That was his 57th empty net goal, and he did so in 1,394 games, according to ESPN.

The Capitals' next game is on Sunday, Apr. 6, on the road against the New York Islanders. And yes, those ticket prices have skyrocketed.

While Oveckhin could have broke the record at home, he didn't want to do so by shooting onto an empty net. It's pretty evident he wants to shoot the puck past an opposing goalie to officially break the record with goal No. 895.