Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin scored the 895th goal of his career on Sunday against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena, passing Wayne Gretzky for the most career goals in NHL history, and the Hall of Famer had an epic reaction to his record being broken.
“They say records are made to be broken, but I'm not sure who is going to get more goals than that,” Wayne Gretzky said, via Chris Johnston of The Athletic.
Gretzky is probably right. This is something we are not likely to see again, as this record being broken in the first place was unfathomable to many. Now, Ovechkin is the greatest goal scorer in NHL history, doing it all with the Capitals franchise.
With the Capitals in a great position to be the top seed in the Eastern Conference, Ovechkin's chase for the record was what came into focus for many fans down the stretch in the regular season. Now that Ovechkin has secured the record, the Capitals can prioritize staying healthy for the playoffs and making a push for the President's Trophy.
The closest team in the Eastern Conference standings is the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have 98 points compared to the Capitals' 107. In the President's Trophy race, the Capitals came into the day trailing the Winnipeg Jets, who have 108 points and are atop the Western Conference standings. The Dallas Stars are also in the picture with 104 points.
After Sunday's game against the Islanders, the Capitals have five games remaining on the schedule. The next one is on Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes at home. Then, there will be back-to-back games against the Columbus Blue Jackets, followed by games against the Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins to wrap up the regular season. It will be interesting to see where the Capitals finish in the President's Trophy race.
For now, the team and fans will celebrate Ovechkin's historic accomplishment.