ELMONT, N.Y. — Marc Gatcomb outscored Alex Ovechkin on Sunday.
“Probably going to be the last time I’ll be able to say that,” Gatcomb, the New York Islanders rookie center, said after his first career two-goal game.
After Sunday, no one may ever be able to say it again.
Ovechkin snapped a tie with Wayne Gretzky for the most goals scored in NHL history Sunday afternoon, when the Washington Capitals left winger scored a power play goal with 12:34 left in the second period of a 4-1 loss to the Islanders in Elmont, N.Y.
The goal was the 895th of Ovechkin’s career, breaking the record held by Gretzky since 1994.
“I still can’t believe it,” Ovechkin said at a press conference afterward. “It was so emotional. It was such a great night. This is something crazy. I’m probably going to need a couple more days, maybe a couple weeks, to realize what it does mean to be number one.”
The milestone goal capped an impressive sprint to the record by Ovechkin, who turned 39 in September but has 42 goals this season despite missing almost six weeks with a broken leg. He has at least one goal in 24 of his last 43 games, including each of the last four.
“At 39 years old, to be scoring at a clip that he is, almost as high as he’s ever scored, even at 25, 27, 28 — broken leg, all the stuff, it’s unbelievable,” Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said as he shook his head.
Oveckin’s historic goal likely began a lengthy tenure atop the all-time list. Sidney Crosby, who is 37 years old and entered the league with Ovechkin in 2005, ranks second behind Ovechkin among active players with 622 goals entering Sunday.
Only five 20-somethings — Leon Draisaitl (399 goals), Auston Matthews (398 goals), David Pastrnak (388 goals), Nathan MacKinnon (367 goals) and Connor McDavid (361 goals) — are within 50 goals of reaching the 400-goal milestone.
“I mean, it’s insane when you put into perspective how many goals that is and how many little games he’s done it in,” Gatcomb said. “He’s the greatest goal-scorer ever. That shot today was just textbook. So it’s awesome to see and it’s cool to be a part of.”
Ovechkin completed his pursuit of Gretzky in doubly appropriate fashion by scoring the record-breaker in his 1,487th game — the same number of NHL games played by Gretzky — and doing so with his 325th power play goal, adding to his NHL record.
The sellout crowd of 17,255 — featuring thousands adorned in Capitals uniforms — buzzed as Ovechkin hit the ice after the Islanders’ Casey Cizikas was whistled for tripping seven minutes into the second.
A TV timeout allowed the anticipation to build before Ovechkin, skating up along the left side of the ice, took a pass from longtime teammate Tom Wilson and fired a slap shot from the faceoff circle that sailed over Sorokin’s stick shoulder.
“I don’t even know how it went in — I don’t know how it got through all the different bodies and the screen,” Carberry said. “I saw it right behind the puck and it finds a way through and beats him short side. It’s the ultimate goal-scorer’s goal for the greatest of all-time.”
The goal unleashed a 20-minute celebration that began with Ovechkin raising his arms and skating a few steps before he belly-flopped on the ice as the crowd roared. John Carlson was the first teammate to reach Ovechkin, who was mobbed at center ice before the momentum of the celebration carried everyone to the boards along the right side of the ice.
The scoreboard displayed a graphic reading “895 NHL ALL-TIME GOALS LEADER ALEX OVECHKIN.” A montage of Ovechkin’s earlier milestone goals aired as a blue carpet was rolled on to the ice next to a commemorative painting of Ovechkin showing him raising the Stanley Cup in 2018.
“They say records are made to be broken,” Gretzky said during an on-ice ceremony. “But I’m not sure who’s going to get more goals than that.”
The scoreboard tribute ended with messages from his wife Anastasia, their two children and Ovechkin’s mother Tatyana, all of whom joined him at center ice with teammates as well as Gretzky — who wore a No. 9 pin in honor of Gordie Howe, whose goal-scoring record he broke — and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.
“We have all witnessed history,” Bettman said.
The Islanders remained on the ice and tapped their sticks before Ovechkin exchanged handshakes with the skaters and hugged goalie Ilya Sorokin. After the game, Sorokin — a native of Russia like Ovechkin — presented Ovechkin with the stick he used Sunday. Ovechkin later hugged New York coach Patrick Roy, the former all-time NHL wins leader.
After Bettman and Gretzky spoke, Gretzky and his wife Janet Jones presented Ovechkin’s wife with a gift — just as Howe’s wife presented Jones with a gift when Gretzky surpassed Howe.
Ovechkin hugged and kissed the members of his family before taking a mic adorned with an “895” microphone cube. Later, the scoreboard aired a video of fellow superstars — including all-time NBA scoring leader LeBron James, 23-time gold medal-winning swimmer Michael Phelps and eight-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer — offering their congratulations.
“What a day, huh?” Ovechkin said on the ice.
Ovechkin still seemed overwhelmed afterward.
“I’m very proud of myself, I’m very proud for my family, for all my teammates that helped me to reach that milestone and to all my coaches,” Ovechkin said with a tired grin. “It’s huge. Unbelievable. Unbelievable moment.”
–Jerry Beach, Field Level Media
