Hockey history was made Sunday afternoon in Elmont when the sports world watched one of the greatest records get broken.
Alex Ovechkin stands alone as the NHL’s all-time leading scorer after he scored number 895 against the Islanders. The hockey world has been on Ovechkin watch since the beginning of the season, but doubts were there that the nearly 40-year-old had enough left in the tank to secure the record this year. Ovechkin has showed no signs of slowing down at all and he overtook Wayne Gretzky’s long-standing record of 894 goals after scoring in the second period.
Ovechkin got the history making goal on a wrist shot past goalie Ilya Sorokin and later asked Sorokin for his stick as a piece of hockey history. Sorokin is a fellow Russian and that was not lost on Ovechkin who said “It’s kind of an historical moment, Russian score against Russian and setting the record, so it’s pretty cool. He's such a great kid and my kids love him. So, it’s a tremendous moment, it’s a tremendous day for hockey and that’s cool.”
Wayne Gretzky also understood how much a part of history this moment was and was at UBS Arena. The Great One had said previously that when he broke the record Gordie Howe was present and he would travel with Ovechkin to make sure he was there for his record breaker. Ovechkin's 895th goal came in his 1,487th game. In a weird twist of fate Gretzky's 894th had come in his 1,487th and also against the Islanders, on March 29, 1999.
Ovechkin has seemingly done it all in the sport since entering the NHL as the #1 pick in the 2004 NHL draft. Ovechkin was named one of the 100 greatest NHL players of all time in 2017, and now the debate will rage just how high on the all-time list his name will be.
Not only is he now the NHL's all-time leading goal scorer but he also is one of two players in league history to score 700 career goals before 35 years old, joining Gretzky. Only Ovechkin, the Great One and Gordie Howe have 800 career goals, and he is one of six players in league history with 700 career goals and 700 career assists.
The 2018 Stanley Cup winner is #1 in league history with the most empty-net goals, the most power-play goals, and the most shots on goal ever. In his Stanley Cup season, he also won the Conn Smythe Trophy, which is given to the league's Most Valuable Player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and he is a three-time Hart Memorial Trophy winner, given to the MVP of the regular season. Ovechkin is a 13-time NHL All-Star Game selection, he led the league in scoring nine times, led the league in points once, and won Rookie of the Year. He's been a standout since entering the league and now he stands atop the list alone.