Alex Ovechkin Passes Wayne Gretzky, Sets New NHL Record With 895th Goal

Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals scores his 895th career goal against the New York Islanders ... More during the second period at UBS Arena on April 06, 2025 in Elmont, New York. (Photo by Steven Ryan/NHLI via Getty Images)
NHLI via Getty Images
If history holds, we’ll see a 70-year-old Alex Ovechkin congratulate the man who breaks his NHL goal-scoring record sometime in 2056.
Gordie Howe held that record from 1963 to 1994, after he passed Maurice Richard and finished with 801 career goals.
Wayne Gretzky’s reign also turned out to be 31 years — from Mar. 23, 1994 until Apr. 6, 2025.
In the second period of Sunday’s matinee against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena, Ovechkin etched his place in history. With the Washington Capitals on the power play, he wristed a shot from the top of the left face-off circle past Ilya Sorokin for his 895th career goal, passing Gretzky to take sole possession of first place all-time.
The goal was the 325th of Ovechkin’s career on the power play — also a record. It was his first ever on Russian countryman Sorokin, in their fourth-career meeting. No player ever has scored on more different goalies.
And the goal came in Ovechkin’s 1,487th-career game, matching the number of games that Gretzky played in his NHL career.