Alex Ovechkin ties Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record in predictable fashion

It was always a matter of when, not if, Washington Capitals superstar Alex Oveckin would break the all-time goals record, held by "The Great One," Wayne Gretzky. This season, Ovechkin got off to a torrid start, scoring 15 goals in the first 18 games of the season. Even after being sidelined an extended period of time due to a broken fibula, Ovechkin was still on track to potentially tie the record of 894 goals before the regular season ended.

Well, it happened on Friday night, in the team's 76th game of the 2024-25 season, Ovechkin joined hockey immortality.

Just two goals away from tying the record, Ovechkin wasted no time, scoring a goal in less than four minutes against the Chicago Blackhawks. With that, just one more goal to tie the record. Of course, the record-tying goal occurred on the power play.

In the third period, John Carlson fed a pass to Ovechkin, who was camped in the offensive zone and unleashed his trademark slap shot, which got past Blackhawks goaltender Spencer Knight to give the Capitals the 4-3 lead.

Alex Ovechkin ties Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record

Of course, Ovechkin tied the record while standing in his "office." Even though teams have watched him score countless goals from that spot on the ice for 20 years, and no one can stop him. So, it was fitting that Ovechkin tied the record on his trademark shot.

Every Capitals player cleared the benches to give Ovechkin a standing ovation for accomplishing such a feat. Also in attendance for the game was Gretzky himself, who sat in a suite alongside NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.

Perhaps the most heartwarming moment was Ovechkin skating over to the boards to give his son a high-five.

Late in the game, the Blackhawks pulled Knight out of the net for an extra skater, which would have been the chance for Ovechkin to break the record. However, Ovechkin refused to go on the ice to break the record on an empty-net goal.

Ovechkin scored 894 goals in 1,486 games played. Gretzky reached that mark in 1,487 games. That's right, Ovechkin did it in one less game.