Date: Wednesday, April 9, 2025

By: Rishi Mistry

CC BY 4.0, Sports Illustrated, https://www.si.com/onsi/breakaway/news-feed-page/watch-washington-capitals-alex-ovechkin-honored-breaking-goals-record

Ladies and gentlemen, we have just witnessed history on Sunday afternoon. Alex Ovechkin, also known as “The Great 8,” now holds the record for the most goals ever in the NHL, and wow, what a feat. He scored his 895th goal on Ilya Sorokin in the second period of the game, surpassing the man who is widely known as the greatest hockey player of all time, Wayne Gretzky. Gretzky had held that record for around 31 years, but little did he know back then that it would soon be broken. 

This countdown has been going on for a couple of seasons now, as Ovechkin became second in goals all-time after passing Gordie Howe late in 2022. Ever since the beginning of this season, every NHL fan was so anxious to see Ovechkin break the record, but in October, there was an issue. During a game, Ovechkin suffered a fractured fibula, forcing him to miss 4-6 weeks of hockey action, slowing down the chase to 894 goals. Once he came back from his injury, he was instantly back on his top form, scoring very consistently. When he came as close as 10 goals away, Wayne Gretzky and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman followed Ovechkin to each game, watching him score and to hopefully be there for the special moment. 

In my opinion, this was one of the greatest sports moments I have ever witnessed, and I am so lucky to be alive during this time to see it. It was on a power play, and the Washington Capitals players rushed down the ice, with the puck on Tom Wilson’s stick. Just as he has for the past 11 seasons, Tom Wilson finds Ovechkin open on the wing, which is Ovechkin’s signature shot, and what better way to do it than displaying his signature move from a pass from his longtime teammate. As soon as the puck found the back of the net, the New York crowd erupted in cheer, which was surprising as this was an away game for Ovechkin’s team. He then ran to the middle of the ice and did a superman dive; a move people will be talking about for a long time. All his teammates ran off the bench and swarmed around him to congratulate him. Ovechkin’s family and Gretzky came down to the ice to congratulate him and give a speech, and what a big moment this was. As soon as the celebration finished, the team took the puck, his tick, jersey, and helmet to most likely be put up in the hockey hall of fame, which is actually located in downtown Toronto. To conclude, this was a huge moment in hockey, something none of us will ever forget, and Ovechkin will ultimately go down as one of the best to play this sport. 

Works Cited