The moment Alex Ovechkin scored his record-breaking 895th career goal with 7:26 gone in the second period against the New York Islanders on Sunday, play stopped and the celebration began.
The great Wayne Gretzky was on hand as the Washington Capitals icon passed him on the NHL’s all-time goal-scoring list. And Gretzky was front and center in the presentation ceremony.
‘They say records are meant to be broken, but I’m not sure who’s going to get more goals than that,’ Gretzky said.
‘Alex, I said I’d be the first guy to shake your hand when you broke the record,’ he added before offering Ovechkin a handshake and a hug.
When Ovechkin took the mic, he started by expressing his gratitude to everyone who played a part in him getting to 895.
‘Like I always said all the time, it’s a team sport. And without my boys, the whole organization, the fans, the trainers, coaches … I would never stand there and obviously I would never pass The Great One. So fellas, thank you so much. I love you so much …
‘We did it, boys. We did it.’
With his mother, wife and two boys accompanying him on the ice, Ovechkin also made a point to thank his family for their support.
As part of the ceremony, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman presented Ovechkin with a commemorative painting by renowned artist Tony Harris.
The 5×3-foot oil painting on canvas features an image of Ovechkin lifting the Stanley Cup after the Capitals won it in 2018 in the background, with another image of Ovechkin in the foreground taking one of his signature slapshots (which naturally got him his record-breaking 895th goal).
(This article was updated to include video.)