Alex Ovechkin tied Wayne Gretzky for the NHL’s all-time scoring mark Friday night when the Washington forward netted his second goal of the game in the Capitals’ 5-3 win over the visiting Chicago Blackhawks.
Ovechkin scored the historic goal with 13:47 left in regulation to give the Capitals a 4-3 lead. The power-play tally came from the left faceoff circle. The capacity crowd at Capital One Arena gave him a standing ovation that lasted a couple of minutes as he and his teammates celebrated.
Ovechkin’s teammates later mobbed him as the horn sounded to end the game. Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno led his team to congratulate the Capitals legend before heading off the ice.
Ovechkin also skated around the ice and pounded his chest as he looked out at the fans.
“It means a lot,” he said on the team’s postgame show. “Right now, I’m so emotional. You never (think) you can reach that milestone.”
Ovechkin scored his first goal with 16:08 remaining in the first period, blasting a shot from just inside the right faceoff circle that beat Blackhawks goalie Spencer Knight in the upper left corner. That goal, his 40th this season, extended his record of 40-goal seasons to 14. Gretzky is second with 12.
Ovechkin remains an elite scorer in the league even at 39 years old. Only two players (Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl with 52 and Toronto’s William Nylander with 42) entered Friday with 40 or more goals this season. Ovechkin also has played in just 60 games this season, having missed 16 contests in November and December due to a broken leg.
Ovechkin has a history of reaching historic milestones against the Blackhawks. On Dec. 13, 2022, his hat trick in Chicago gave him 800 goals, making him only the third NHL player to reach that plateau.
Gretzky, considered the greatest hockey player of all time, held the record for 31 years since scoring his 802nd goal, breaking Gordie Howe’s mark, against the Vancouver Canucks on March 23, 1994. In 20 NHL seasons, Gretzky needed 1,487 games to tally 894 goals. Ovechkin matched the Great One in the 1,486th game of his career.
Gretzky and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman attended the Friday game in Washington. They will travel along with the team until the Capitals icon breaks the record.
–Field Level Media
