Home / News / Happy Goaliversary! Alex Ovechkin scored ‘The Goal’ seventeen years ago today.

Happy Goaliversary! Alex Ovechkin scored ‘The Goal’ seventeen years ago today.

By Ian Oland

 1 Comment

January 16, 2023 5:54 pm

On January 16th, 2006, Alex Ovechkin scored what is one of the greatest goals in NHL history.

While falling and twirling around on his back, Ovi sent a “simply sensational” shot somehow past Phoenix Coyotes goaltender Brian Boucher.

The goal happened in front of Wayne Gretzky, who was the Coyotes coach at the time and is the man Ovi is currently chasing for the all-time goals record.

The NHL posted the footage on Monday and asked if it stands as the best goal in NHL history.

Ovechkin scored The Goal during his rookie season in the NHL. It was Ovechkin’s 32nd of his career. Since then, he’s scored 778 more times.

On the 10-year anniversary of ‘The Goal,’ Monumental Network put together a video, where players and media who witnessed the feat recounted what the moment was like.

“I didn’t see the puck go in because I was on my back,” Ovechkin said to The Washington Post’s Isabelle Khurshudyan on the 10th anniversary of ‘The Goal.’ “I had to look if I didn’t hit the boards or get injured, so I look up and I see [Boyd Gordon] and [Brendan Witt] came to me and start like, celebrate, so I have to go and see and look what happened, how I did it.”

“For that moment, it was just an unbelievable time,” Ovechkin continued. “My dream was come true. I was playing in the NHL, I did kind of a special goal and Gretzky was there as well.”

Gretzky wasn’t the only memorable name in attendance for ‘The Goal.’ An eight-year-old Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs was at Glendale Arena when Ovechkin netted the historic tally.

“I was there, yeah,” Matthews told Sportsnet. “It was unbelievable. That was back when I think Gretzky was coaching. He was just looking up. He couldn’t believe it. I think everybody up in the stands – nobody really cheered – they really couldn’t get their heads wrapped around what just happened.”

Brian Boucher, the goalie Ovi scored on, has celebrated the anniversary of The Goal in the past. The Goal made Boucher the 21st goaltender Ovechkin scored on in his career.

Happy Goaliversary, Ovi!

This article has been updated and republished from our archive.

,