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<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en"> <head> <title>Alex Ovechkin scores goal #895 to break Wayne Gretzky's all-time NHL scoring record</title> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=utf-8"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width"> <link id="favicon" rel="shortcut icon" type="image/png" href="data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABAAAAAQCAYAAAAf8/9hAAAAAXNSR0IArs4c6QAAAHlJREFUOBFjYBgFFIcA48cYpf/opvAv+YouxODXshZDbFONDSMLSJRv8V245KdYZTD7//8XcDFGRgkwe2O1NVzMv/UomA02AMQCaUQ2CCQG0ohsEEgMphHEBgEmCIWdRNeMTRXYBTBnw2iYQpjTYXx022Hio/RAhwAAjXEfJrIXnj4AAAAASUVORK5CYII="> <style> body { display: block; padding: 0px 20px; max-width: 550px; margin: 0 auto; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; } .full-version-link { margin-left: 15px; } .slug-line { font-size: 1.1rem; margin-bottom: 15px; } .hr-line { position: relative; height: 4px; } .hr-line:after { background: linear-gradient(to right, #e60000 0%, #e60000 33.33%, #000000 33.33%, #000000 66.66%, #3366CC 66.66%); position: absolute; content: ''; height: 4px; right: 0; left: 0; top: 0; } hr.gray { border: .5px solid gray; } .story-title { line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.5rem; margin: 0; } .topic-heading { line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.5rem; } .topic-container>ul { padding: 0; line-height: 1.4rem; } .topic-container li { display: block; padding-bottom: 15px; } .topic-container { margin-top: 20px; } .topic-date { margin: 20px 0; font-style: italic; } .paragraphs-container { line-height: 1.5rem; } .button:link, .button:visited { background-color: white; color: black; border: 2px solid black; padding: 4px 8px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; display: inline-block; } .button:hover, .button:active { background-color: black; color: white; } .lower-nav-container { margin-top: 40px; } .lower-nav-container li { margin-left: 0; display: inline; padding-right: 20px; } h6 { text-transform: uppercase; } </style> </head> <body> <header> <p>Text-Only Version <a class="full-version-link button" href="https://www.npr.org/nx-s1-5354189">Go To Full Site</a></p> </header> <main> <article> <div class="story-container"> <p class="slug-line"> <a class="slug-link" href="/">NPR</a> > <a class="slug-link" href="/1055">Sports</a> </p> <div class="story-head"> <h1 class="story-title">Alex Ovechkin scores goal #895 to break Wayne Gretzky's all-time NHL scoring record</h1> <p>By Becky Sullivan</p> <p>Sunday, April 6, 2025 • 2:10 PM EDT</p> <p>Heard on <a href="/nx-s1-5310317/2025-04-07">Morning Edition</a> </div> <div class="hr-line"></div> <div class="paragraphs-container"> <p>For <a href="/2025/04/04/g-s1-58373/alex-ovechkin-wayne-gretzky-hockey-record-most-nhl-goals" target="_blank">Alex Ovechkin</a>, the goal in Sunday's game came just like so many before it did — on the power play, from the top of the left faceoff circle, a powerful shot right to the goal.</p> <hr> Related Story: <a href="/nx-s1-5331209">NPR</a> <hr><p>But <a href="/2025/03/23/nx-s1-5331209/ovechkin-gretzky-nhl-goals-record-hockey-washington-capitals" target="_blank">this one was history</a>. For the Washington Capitals star, this 895th goal of his regular season career makes him the NHL's new all-time scoring leader after Wayne Gretzky, the "Great One," held the record for more than 30 years.</p><p>After he scored, Ovechkin slid to the ice belly-first and shouted with delight as his teammates raced onto the ice in a joyous mob. And the crowd — even at an away game against the New York Islanders — roared and chanted his name. </p><p>The game paused for more than ten minutes for an official celebration as soon as Ovechkin scored. Both benches emptied as the teams, Capitals and Islanders alike, lined up to shake Ovechkin's hand. And Gretzky joined Ovechkin on the ice, along with Ovechkin's family and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, for a mid-game ceremony.</p><p>"I could tell you firsthand I know how hard it is to get to 894," Gretzky said. "895 is pretty special."</p><p>"They say records are made to be broken, but I'm not sure who's going to get more goals than that," Gretzky joked.</p><p>Ovechkin's chase for Gretzky's record had come to be the headliner story of the entire NHL season. Last Friday, he scored two goals to tie the record at home in Washington. Afterward, prices for tickets to Sunday's game in New York had soared to $1,000 or more, as fans raced for the opportunity to see history.</p><p>At 39 years old, Ovechkin is the second-oldest forward in the NHL this season, his 20th. And he has scored goals this season at the same clip as he did when he was a 20-year-old rookie — almost two goals every three games. </p><p>His combination of durability and production allowed him to continue scoring goals at a rate far higher than almost any other player in their 30s — and higher than most players in the league at all. </p><p>With Sunday's goal, Ovechkin has scored 42 goals this season, third-most league-wide — despite having broken his leg in a game in November, an injury that forced him to miss 16 games, the longest injury pause of his career. (The other five top-scoring players this season are all in their 20s.)</p><p>"What a moment for hockey, what a moment for my family, myself, this organization, my teammates. Obviously, it's huge," Ovechkin said in a TV interview with Monumental Sports Network during the game.</p> <hr> <h3>Transcript</h3> <p>STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: <p><p> Some other news now. Hockey has a new scoring king. Alex Ovechkin became the NHL's all-time goal scorer yesterday with the 895th goal of his career. Here's NPR's Becky Sullivan.<p><p>BECKY SULLIVAN, BYLINE: It's been more than three decades since hockey's all-time goals record last changed hands. That was in 1994 when Wayne Gretzky, the Great One, broke Gordie Howe's old record, as he rewrote all of hockey's history books. Gretzky can still recall the night.<p><p>WAYNE GRETSKY: When I broke Gordie's record, my dad told me that same night, you'll be as proud of the guy that breaks your record.<p><p>SULLIVAN: By the time he retired, Gretzky had scored 894 goals in his regular season career. And there was a time, a really long time, when people thought that record might never be broken. Then along came Alex Ovechkin.<p><p>(CHEERING)<p><p>SULLIVAN: The Washington Capitals drafted the Moscow native in 2004. And he's scored goals by the bucketful ever since, including 42 this season - the third most in the NHL even though he's a decade older than the league's other top scorers.<p><p>GENERAL PUBLIC UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: (Chanting) Ovi, Ovi, Ovi, Ovi.<p><p>SULLIVAN: This winter and spring, as he inched closer and closer to Gretzky's record, with every Capitals game, everybody would lean in every time No. 8 touched the puck.<p><p>(CHEERING)<p><p>SULLIVAN: History finally arrived Sunday in the second period of a game against the New York Islanders. The Capitals were on a power play. Across the ice came a pass from a teammate. Ovechkin reached back with his stick to control the puck then flung it toward the net for the 895th goal of his legendary career. It's heard here on the Monumental Sports Network.<p><p>(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)<p><p>UNIDENTIFIED SPORTSCASTER: Ovechkin fires. Score.<p><p>(CHEERING)<p><p>UNIDENTIFIED SPORTSCASTER: The chasing days are done. Alex Ovechkin is the greatest goal scorer in the history of the NHL.<p><p>SULLIVAN: The 39-year-old dove to the ice belly first as his teammates poured off the bench in a happy mob. The crowd went wild. Even the Islanders squad lined up to each shake Ovi's hand.<p><p>(CHEERING)<p><p>SULLIVAN: The game was put on pause as Ovechkin's family, the NHL commissioner and, of course, Wayne Gretzky came down to the ice for a ceremony.<p><p>(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)<p><p>GRETSKY: They say records are made to be broken, but I'm not sure who's going to get more goals than that.<p><p>SULLIVAN: Afterward, at a press conference, Ovechkin said he was still taking it all in.<p><p>(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)<p><p>ALEX OVECHKIN: I'm probably going to need a couple more days or maybe a couple weeks to realize, what does it mean to be No. 1? But all I can say - I'm very proud.<p><p>SULLIVAN: The Capitals are one of the best teams in hockey this season, playoff-bound with a real shot at a second franchise Stanley Cup. But for weeks, Ovechkin's chase had loomed larger than all that.<p><p>TOM WILSON: I mean, there's really no words to describe it.<p><p>SULLIVAN: The Capitals' Tom Wilson has been Ovechkin's teammate for 12 seasons.<p><p>WILSON: What Wayne and O have done for the game of hockey can never be replicated. It's been an honor of my career to just have a front-row seat and watch him.<p><p>SULLIVAN: One day, it'll be Ovechkin's turn to shake the next guy's hand. But it took 31 years for him to break Gretzky's record, so don't expect that day to come any time soon.<p><p>Becky Sullivan, NPR News, Washington.<p><p>(SOUNDBITE OF RUSSIAN CIRCLES' "STATION")<p> </div> </div> </article> </main> <div class="hr-line"></div> <nav> <p>Topics</p> <ul> <li><a href="/1001">News</a></li> <li><a href="/1008">Culture</a></li> <li><a href="/1039">Music</a></li> </ul> </nav> <footer> <nav class="lower-nav-container"> <li><a href="/614470770">Contact Us</a></li> <li><a href="/179876898">Terms of Use</a></li> <li><a href="/179881519">Permissions</a></li> <li><a href="/179878450">Privacy Policy</a></li> </nav> <p>&copy NPR</p> </footer> </body> </html>