Wayne Gretzky gives emotional speech after Alex Ovechkin breaks record

Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin made history on Sunday afternoon.

The 39-year-old future Hall of Famer rocketed the puck past New York Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin with 12:34 left in the second period. It was his 895th career goal, surpassing legend Wayne Gretzky for No. 1 on the NHL's all-time scoring list.

The celebration was on immediately as Ovechkin dove across the ice and was mobbed by his teammates. He now stands alone in NHL lore as the greatest scorer the sport has seen. As fate would have it, Ovechkin broke the record in his 1,487th game with the Capitals. That is exactly how many games Gretzky played in his illustrious career.

It was a beautiful moment all around. Washington announcer Joe Beninati, who called Ovi's first goal two decades ago, was on call for the ultimate full-circle moment.

Gretzky then gave a heartwarming speech to honor Ovechkin's incredible feat. He was in attendance to lend his support and witness history first-hand.

"It was my honor to hold the National Hockey League goals record for the last three decades," he said. "I now am delighted to pass that honor to a man who truly was born to put the puck in the net and who has played our game with remarkable passion and power. I forever will be grateful for the way my idol, Gordie Howe, congratulated me upon breaking his record in 1994. And I am thrilled that I could be in attendance to share this moment with you, Alex, as you now are the leading goal-scorer in NHL history."

Wayne Greztky heaps praise upon Alex Ovechkin after forward's record-setting 895th goal

Others around the hockey world were quick to offer their congratulations to Ovechkin, including a long-time rival in Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby.

After Gretzky gave his speech, Ovechkin took the mic and embraced the moment. He kept his statement simple, making sure to credit his teammates.

"We did it boys, we did it."

LeBron James, Simone Biles, and Michael Phelps were among the celebrity athletes to offer their congrats in a tribute video showed as USB Arena.

We can expect Ovi's record to stand the test of time. There's always someone else coming down the pipeline, but the 39-year-old has a long runway to embrace his time at the top. Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs is widely viewed as Ovechkin's closest competition. The 27-year-old has 398 goals under his belt and scores more per game on average than both Ovi and Gretzky. Still, he has a long way to go. Not everyone is as durable as the Caps' captain.