One year ago today, Alex Ovechkin broke an NHL record that many thought would never be broken.
Two days after registering his 893rd and 894th career goals in front of his home fans, Ovechkin found the back of the net on a Washington Capitals’ power play 7:26 into the second period, surpassing Wayne Gretzky’s career mark and ending his improbable chase.
“The chasing days are done!” Monumental Sports Network’s Joe Beninati yelled.
Ovechkin belly-flopped on the ice to celebrate goal 895 — he later admitted that was totally not intentional — and Capitals players emptied the bench to congratulate their captain. A sold-out UBS Arena of 17,255, featuring both New York Islanders fans and many Capitals supporters who had made the trip up north, roared loudly and gave Ovechkin a standing ovation as history was made.
The play developed after Islanders’ penalty killers cleared the puck down the ice. Capitals goaltender Charlie Lindgren stopped the biscuit behind the net, leaving it for John Carlson. The Caps’ legendary rearguard skated the puck up the ice and dropped the puck to Dylan Strome, reloading behind him in the defensive zone. Strome then skated into neutral and hit Tom Wilson with a short pass on the right side, gaining the zone. Wilson then quickly sent a diagonal seam pass to Ovechkin at the top of the left circle, who fired a wrist shot past Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin.
“I just tried to find him on the entry there, and then when I was skating to the net and the puck went in the net, the next 15 seconds … I truly just kind of blacked out,” Wilson said that day. “I’ve got to watch it back, because I don’t remember what happened. It was just chaos.”
Some advanced scouting by the coaching staff also tipped the Capitals off on what to do against the Islanders’ penalty kill.
“We joked with Mitch Love as our power play break-in coach, our breakout coach,” Strome said. “And I said, I went right up to him because we talked, ‘The Islanders have like a two and two box.’ So he said, ‘You know, most teams are one three.’ So most teams, you can carry it and then kick it out. And he said, ‘The Islanders is a little early kick out. So I went up to him right before the faceoff. I said, ‘Early kick out, right?’ And he said, ‘Yeah, early kick out.’ So, they were kind of in that exactly what he talked about. Kicked it out to Willy and Willy made a great pass though. And obviously now we can finally say the rest is history.”
The NHL stopped the game to honor Ovechkin with an on-ice ceremony that they expected to take seven minutes — it lasted 22. Ovechkin and with his family were joined on the ice by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, Capitals owner Ted Leonsis, and the former record holder Wayne Gretzky.
“They say records are made to be broken, but I’m not sure who’s going to get more goals than that,” Gretzky said. “I said I’d be the first guy to shake your hand when you broke the record.”
“What a day, huh?,” Ovechkin said. “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 very much. I love you so much.
“I know Nicklas Backstrom is here, TJ Oshie, fellas, I love you. We did it, boys. We did it,” he said emotionally.
He also thanked Sorokin, a fellow Russian, for being his latest beaten goaltender, saying “Thank you to Sorokin to let me score 895. I love you, brotha.” It was the first time in three attempts Ovechkin had dented the twine against Sorokin.
“All of you fans, the whole world, Russian, we did it, boys. We did it. It’s history,” Ovechkin continued. “And the most important thing, to my mom, my family, my beautiful wife, my father-in-law, my beautiful kids, thank you. I love you so much, and without you, without your support I would never stand here. So, I love you guys.”
Ovechkin’s goal would end up being the only one the Capitals scored that day, as they fell to the Islanders 4-1 in a mostly listless performance that I can barely recall.
Washington Capitals’ anniversary video
After the game, Ovechkin was saluted by the team with another beer bath, then took photos with all his teammates, family, and friends in attendance. The most notable moment was when Nicklas Backstrom, unable to play in the NHL anymore due to his hip, walked in and congratulated his former teammate. The two exchanged a long hug as Backstrom said something into Ovechkin’s ear. The duo then took a photo with the milestone 895th career goal puck before Ovechkin kissed Backstrom on the cheek. Backstrom assisted on 279 of Ovechkin’s first 895 career goals, the most of any other player.
“Backy is the guy that helped most assist on my goals,” Ovechkin said. “As soon as I see him, I almost cry. Me and him been together since Day 1.”
Sorokin walked over and gave Ovechkin his goalie stick, taking a photo together with Ovechkin and Gretzky.
“It’s good experience for me,” Sorokin said.
Ovechkin signed game sheets, hats, and beer cans for his teammates before they flew home. Later that night, they celebrated Ovechkin’s milestone in downtown DC at Balos Estiatorio.
“It’s just an honor to be living through this and to see this,” Wilson said. “You know, 10-year-old me or 10-year-old any of us, to be in a room with Wayne and Ovi during this moment, is so special. He’s taken us on an amazing journey, and it’ll be the honor of my career to play with him, learn so much from him, win with him, watch him score this goal. There’s really no words to describe it.”
RMNB’s coverage of Alex Ovechkin’s 895th goal
- Alex Ovechkin breaks Wayne Gretzky’s NHL goals record against Islanders with 895th career goal
- All the Washington Capitals players who assisted on Alex Ovechkin’s record-breaking 895 goals
- NHL and Capitals to use fraud-proof stickers on Alex Ovechkin’s record-breaking game-used gear
- Alex Ovechkin becomes 10th player in NHL history to hold all-time goals record (timeline)
- Fans at Nationals Park erupt for Alex Ovechkin’s record-breaking 895th goal
- Nicklas Backstrom, crying, hugs Alex Ovechkin after breaking the NHL goals record
- NHL honors Alex Ovechkin’s 895th career goal with on-ice ceremony
- Alex Ovechkin congratulated by his favorite athlete, Michael Jordan, and other sports legends like Tom Brady and LeBron James after breaking NHL goals record
- Ilya Sorokin gave Alex Ovechkin his goalie stick after allowing goal that broke NHL goals record: ‘It’s good experience for me’
- Tom Wilson and Dylan Strome become part of hockey history with assists on Alex Ovechkin’s 895th goal
- Alex Ovechkin on iconic belly-flop celebration: ‘Ice was bad today, so I fell’
- Capitals hold team party at Balos Estiatorio to celebrate Alex Ovechkin’s record-breaking 895th goal
- TNT breaks viewership record during Alex Ovechkin’s 895-goal game
- How Alex Ovechkin’s record-breaking gear including his jersey and goal puck got authenticated and secured
- Olie Kolzig says Alex Ovechkin thanked him for being a part of his history: ‘I’m like, you scored on me once. He says, no, you assisted on 5 of my goals.’
- Why Martin Fehervary was the last Capitals player to celebrate Alex Ovechkin’s record-breaking 895th career goal
- These are the souvenirs Capitals players kept after Alex Ovechkin broke the NHL goals record
- Ilya Sorokin never saw the shot that gave Alex Ovechkin the NHL goals record: ‘I didn’t see the puck. I only saw it when it flew out of the net.’
- Lars Eller reveals the gift Alex Ovechkin got all his teammates and what he did on the bus after breaking the NHL goals record
- Rasmus Sandin shares details behind Hublot watches Alex Ovechkin gifted players and staff after breaking NHL goals record
- Alex Ovechkin gave Rasmus Sandin a stick the day he broke the NHL goals record: ‘I asked for it pretty quick’
- Pierre-Luc Dubois on Alex Ovechkin’s iconic belly flop after breaking the NHL goals record: ‘[It] wasn’t what he wanted to do at all’
- Dylan Strome downplays his helper on Alex Ovechkin’s 895th goal: ‘I think it was great, but it was a chintzy secondary assist’
