895! Alex Ovechkin breaks Wayne Gretzky's NHL all-time goals record

Shortly after Wayne Gretzky became the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer in 1994, his father mentioned how someone, someday, would break his record.

"I looked at my dad,” Gretzky recently recalled, “and said, 'Well can I enjoy this for just a couple days?'"

Gretzky enjoyed holding the record for more than 30 years – and then that someone appeared, and that someday arrived.

It was Alex Ovechkin on April 6, 2025.

The date will forever be etched in history as the day the Washington Capitals star scored his 895^th career goal to break Gretzky’s record and become the top goal scorer in league history.

The 39-year-old Ovechkin netted the record-breaking goal Sunday during the Capitals’ 4-1 loss to the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on Long Island. He scored on the power play with 12:34 remaining in the second period, firing a one-timer off a feed from longtime teammate Tom Wilson past Islanders goalie, and fellow Russian, Ilya Sorokin.

Ovechkin reached 895 goals in his 1,487th game -- the same number of games Gretzky played in his NHL 20-year career.

"I’m probably gonna need a couple more days or maybe a couple weeks to realize what does it mean to be number one," Ovechkin said after the game. "But all I can say is, I’m very proud for myself, I’m very proud for my family, for all my teammates that helped me to reach that milestone, and for all my coaches. It’s huge. It’s an unbelievable moment."

After scoring the goal, Ovechkin celebrated with a belly-flop, sliding towards center ice on his stomach before he was mobbed by teammates. The goal sent the thousands of Capitals fans among the 17,000-plus in attendance into a raucous celebration.

The game was paused for a roughly 20-minute ceremony that marked the completion of what has been dubbed “The GR8 Chase.”

Gretzky, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and Ovechkin's family joined Ovechkin on the ice.

"They say records are made to be broken,” Gretzky said during the ceremony, “but I'm not sure who's going to get more goals than that.”

Records sure are made to be broken, but greatness is rarely expected to be matched. And yet, “The Great One” himself is now second greatest on the league’s most hallowed statistical list.

Ovechkin’s climb to the top required longevity, consistency and availability – all of which he has provided since being selected first overall in the 2004 draft.

In his NHL debut on Oct. 5, 2005, he scored the first two goals of what would be a 52-goal season, the third-most ever scored by an NHL rookie.

Ovechkin, during his third season, scored a career best 65 goals. He has recorded nine 50-plus goal seasons, matching the record shared by Gretzky and Islanders legend Mike Bossy. He has scored 40 or more goals in a season 14 times, which topped Gretzky's record of 12.

Alex Ovechkin milestone goals

• First -- Oct. 5, 2005
• 100^th -- Oct. 12, 2007
• 200^th -- Feb. 5, 2009
• 300^th -- April 5, 2011
• 400^th -- Dec. 20, 2013
• 500^th -- Jan. 10, 2016
• 600^th -- March 12, 2018
• 700^th -- Feb. 22, 2020
• 800^th -- Dec. 13, 2022
• 894^th -- April 4, 2025
• 895^th -- April 6, 2025

Ovechkin won nine Rocket Richard Trophies for most goals scored in a season, three Hart Trophies as most valuable player, and the 2018 Stanley Cup, which was the first in Capitals franchise history.

With each goal along the way, he inched closer to greatness.

“Wayne, you’ll always be the ‘Great One’ and you had a record that nobody ever thought would be broken,” Bettman said during the in-game ceremony. “But Alex, you did it. You’ve been amazing.”

Gretzky had held the goals record since 1994 when he tallied his 802nd goal on March 23, 1994 to pass Detroit Red Wings legend Gordie Howe. Gretzky, who played primarily for the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings, scored his 894th and final goal came on March 29, 1999, as a member of the New York Rangers. He retired three weeks later at the age of 38, holding 61 NHL records at the time, including most career assists (1,963) and points (2,857), both of which still comfortably stand.

His goals record outlasted many Hall of Famers who took aim but fell short -- with Jaromir Jagr scoring 766 goals before retiring in 2018 and Brett Hull netting 741 goals before closing his 19-year career in 2006.

Ovechkin in December 2022 became just the third player in league history to reach 800 career goals, joining Gretzky and Howe. He began his 20th NHL season in October needing 42 goals to top a record once believed to be unbreakable. He missed 16 games earlier this season with a fractured left fibula, pushing the record pursuit closer to the end of the season.

Ovechkin entered Sunday having scored in four consecutive games. He scored twice on Friday against the Chicago Blackhawks, including career goal No. 894 to tie Gretzky's record total.

He broke it with just five games remaining for the Capitals in the regular season.

"Finally, I’m not gonna have those questions of when do you think you’re gonna break it," Ovechkin said. "It’s already done. So, gonna have to figure out what the next question is gonna be. For me and for all the boys, it's a fun time. You can see how many people traveled from all over the world to see that moment. It’s special."

Ovechkin will now look to become the first NHL player to score 900 career goals, a club he will remain the sole member of for quite some time, if not permanently.

Until – of course – someone, someday comes along.

Correction: a previous version of this article stated the Washington Capitals won the Stanley Cup in 2017. They won the Stanley Cup in 2018.