Alex Ovechkin passes Wayne Gretzky with record 895th career goal: Capitals star makes history vs. Islanders

Ovechkin now sits atop the NHL's all-time goals list

Alex Ovechkin has broken Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record. Ovechkin scored his 895th goal in the second period against the New York Islanders on Sunday to stand alone as the greatest scorer in league history.

Fittingly, Ovechkin ripped home a shot on the power play for the record-breaker. The missile zipped past Ilya Sorokin for his 325th career power play goal, extending his all-time lead in that category as well. The primary assist came from longtime teammate Tom Wilson, and the secondary assist came from Dylan Strome.

As soon as the puck hit the twine, fans on both sides exploded with excitement, and Ovechkin went sliding on his stomach to center ice.

Long-time @Capitals announcer Joe Beninati called Alex Ovechkin's first NHL goal. All these years later, he called Alex Ovechkin's record-breaking goal. 🫡

Iconic. #Gr8ness pic.twitter.com/FVzkcYf2rn

— NHL (@NHL) April 6, 2025

In the aftermath of the goal, the entire Islanders team came across to shake Ovechkin's hand, and Gretzky came down from his suite to congratulate Ovechkin personally. In an on-ice ceremony, Gretzky shook Ovechkin's hand and wondered whether the new goals record would ever be broken.

"I can tell you firsthand, I know how hard it is to get to 894, so 895 is pretty special," Gretzky said. "My congratulations to not only Alex, his mom and dad, his family, his wife and kids. ... They say records are made to be broken, but I'm not sure who's gonna get more goals than that."

“I said I’d be the first one to shake your hand when you broke the record.”

Gretzky kept his promise 🤝 pic.twitter.com/Nqnl4EHtsL

— ESPN (@espn) April 6, 2025

Gretzky passed Hall of Famer Gordie Howe in 1994, and he held the record for 31 years and 14 days before Ovechkin toppled it on Sunday. The climb for Ovechkin was a long and steady one as the Washington Capitals superstar has cranked out one 40-goal season after another since his rookie season in 2005-06.

In his speech, Ovechkin thanked his teammates and the entire Capitals organization for helping him reach this milestone. He also gave a shoutout to a pair of beloved teammates sidelined due to injury.

"What a day, huh?" Ovechkin said. "Like I always say, it's a team sport, the whole organization, the fans, the trainers and coaches, I would never stand there. I would never have passed 'The Great One.' Fellas, thank you so much. I love you so much. I know Nicklas Backstrom is here. T.J. Oshie. I love you. We did it, boys! We did it!"

Ovechkin then acknowledged and joked with fellow countryman Ilya Sorokin, who allowed the record-breaking goal.

"Thank you to Ilya Sorokin for letting me score 895," Ovechkin joked. "I love you, brother."

With Gretzky now in Ovechkin's rearview mirror, the only question is how high will the new goals leader climb? Ovechkin will hit 900 shortly, but does he have enough gas in the tank to reach 1,000, which would have been an unthinkable number just a few years ago.

[Apr 6, 2025 at 1:51 pm ET · Austin Nivison]

Ovechkin breaks Gretzky's record with 895th goal

There it is. Ovechkin has broken Gretzky's all-time goals record with his 895th career goal. On the day Ovechkin matches Gretzky with 1,487 games played, he also passes him for sole possession of the goals record.

The goal couldn't have been more perfect either. It may not have been his patented one-timer, but Ovechkin fired a seed of a wrist shot past Sorokin on the power play. The greatest power play weapon in NHL history added to his already record total with his 325th tally on the man advantage.

[Apr 6, 2025 at 3:34 pm ET · Austin Nivison]

LeBron James extends his congratulations to another legend

[Apr 6, 2025 at 3:32 pm ET · Austin Nivison]

Final: Islanders 4, Capitals 1

Alex Ovechkin makes history with his 895th career goal, but the Islanders get the win. Ovechkin scored the record-breaking goal in his 1,487th game, the same number Gretzky played in throughout his career. New York picks up a badly needed win to keep the team's slim playoff hopes alive.

[Apr 6, 2025 at 3:12 pm ET · Austin Nivison]

Tom Brady sends a shoutout to 'The Great 8'

[Apr 6, 2025 at 3:07 pm ET · Austin Nivison]

3rd Period: Islanders 4, Capitals 1

There is still a game going on. J.G. Pageau makes it a three-goal lead for the Islanders. He just snuck a rebound past Charlie Lindgren, and after review, it was determined to have crossed the goal line completely. This is shaping up to be a critical win for the Isles.

[Apr 6, 2025 at 2:59 pm ET · Austin Nivison]

Sidney Crosby congratulates Ovechkin

Crosby and Ovechkin are the two greatest players of their generation and they created a (somewhat) friendly rivalry over the years. The Capitals and Penguins have had some intense playoff battles, and the two players have racked up awards left and right. After Ovechkin passed Gretzky, Crosby tipped his cap to his peer and rival.

[Apr 6, 2025 at 2:26 pm ET · Austin Nivison]

2nd Period: Islanders 3, Capitals 1

Marc Gatcomb is doing everything he can to steal the spotlight from Ovechkin today. Gatcomb nets his second of the day after being left wide open in front of the Caps' net. He restores the Islanders' 3-1 lead as the team seems unfazed by the lengthy on-ice ceremony that just occurred.

[Apr 6, 2025 at 1:55 pm ET · Austin Nivison]

Teams celebrate Ovechkin

Following the record goal, the Capitals bench rushed onto the ice to celebrate around him. The game was then paused as the Islanders came over to shake his hand, and a tribute video played on the UBS Arena jumbotron. Despite the fact that historic goal came away from Washington D.C., the NHL is making sure this moment gets the attention it deserves.

Gretzky has also made his way to the ice to congratulate Ovechkin. Gretzky is wearing a Gordie Howe pin, thus making sure all three of the league's 800-goal scorers are honored this afternoon.

[Apr 6, 2025 at 1:45 pm ET · Austin Nivison]

Ovechkin is starting to heat up with a couple more chances, and just in time for a Capitals power play. Now the greatest power play weapon in NHL history will post up in his office and try to move past Gretzky's all-time record.

[Apr 6, 2025 at 1:43 pm ET · Austin Nivison]

Ovechkin just completed his first shift of the season, and he managed to get another shot on Sorokin. This one was from way downtown — just inside the blue line — and Sorokin blockered it away with ease. Capitals coach Spencer Carbery is clearly content to roll his lines, not wanting to over-work Ovechkin in pursuit of the record-breaking 895th goal.

[Apr 6, 2025 at 1:17 pm ET · Austin Nivison]

End of 1st Period: Islanders 2, Capitals 0

The Islanders didn't get the memo that today was supposed to be all about Ovechkin and the Capitals. New York had a strong start, and it has been rewarded with a 2-0 lead at the first intermission. The Isles are trying to keep their playoff hopes alive, and that was clear in the opening 20 minutes.

As for Ovechkin, he took a handful of very short shifts and recorded just one shot on goal in the opening frame.

[Apr 6, 2025 at 1:15 pm ET · Austin Nivison]

Ryan Pulock nearly gifted goal No. 895 to Ovechkin. The puck slipped off his stick right in front of Sorokin, and Ovechkin was able to get a stick on it, but the shot bounced off Pulock's stick and slid harmlessly away from the net.

[Apr 6, 2025 at 1:10 pm ET · Austin Nivison]

Another short shift for Ovechkin, and this one was spent mostly in the Capitals' zone. Perhaps the anticipation of history has thrown Washington off a bit, but for whatever reason, the team has not played its best game. The islanders have been the better team all period, and they've earned their 2-0 lead.

[Apr 6, 2025 at 12:54 pm ET · Austin Nivison]

1st Period: Islanders 2, Capitals 0

The Islanders just keep coming. Ovechkin may be chasing history, but it's clear the Islanders are desperate to keep their season alive. Marc Gatcomb doubles New York's lead just 1:54 after Horvat opened the scoring. Now the Islanders will head to the power play.

[Apr 6, 2025 at 12:52 pm ET · Austin Nivison]

1st Period: Islanders 1, Capitals 0

The first goal of the game belongs to Bo Horvat. Great work down low by New York as Simon Holmstrom retrieves a loose puck behind the net and finds a wide open Horvat cruising down main street for the goal. The Isles are trying to keep their slim playoff hopes alive, so they won't roll over today.

[Apr 6, 2025 at 12:41 pm ET · Austin Nivison]

Right off an offensive zone face-off, Ovechkin got to the front of the net and deflected a point shot on goal. Only a lightning quick reaction from Sorokin prevented the record-breaking goal. That was an excellent scoring chance, and it was only Ovechkin's second shift of the game.

[Apr 6, 2025 at 12:38 pm ET · Austin Nivison]

Ovechkin has concluded his first shift of the game, and it's probably fair to say he was eager to get going. He tried to jump the opening face-off for a quick break into the offensive zone, but the Isles thwarted it. Caps defenseman Rasmus Sandin had Ovechkin streaking down the wing on an offensive zone possession, but he was stripped of the puck before making the pass.

[Apr 6, 2025 at 12:33 pm ET · Austin Nivison]

Ovechkin will get the start, alongside linemates Dylan Strome and Tom Wilson. The chase for the all-time goals record will begin right from the opening puck drop. I'd expect Ovechkin, who has a knack for scoring big goals in key moments, to come out firing. I have to imagine Sorokin will see plenty of rubber from Ovechkin this afternoon.

[Apr 6, 2025 at 12:10 pm ET · Austin Nivison]

Quite a few Capitals fans have already made their way into UBS Arena in anticipation of a historic moment in franchise and league history. If this is the crowd before warmups get underway, you can only imagine what the atmosphere will be like on Long Island today.

If it's anything like the atmosphere during Friday night's Capitals vs. Blackhawks game in D.C., we're all in for a treat. Every time Ovechkin touched the puck, fans shifted to the edge of their seat, and you could hear the anticipation through the broadcast.

[Apr 6, 2025 at 12:00 pm ET · Austin Nivison]

In order to break Gretzky's record, Ovechkin will need to score on fellow countryman Ilya Sorokin for the first time in his career. While Sorokin has played against the Capitals seven times, Ovechkin was only in the lineup for three of those games. In those contests, Ovechkin only tallied four combined shots. He might hit that in the first period today.

Ovechkin does have 44 career goals in 71 games against the Islanders, which is the eighth-most against any team he's ever faced. The 45th would be one that sports fans remember for a very long time.

[Apr 6, 2025 at 11:45 am ET · Austin Nivison]

Wayne Gretzky's 894th and final NHL goal came against the New York Islanders on March 29, 1999. It would only be fitting for Ovechkin to break Gretzky's record against that very same team 26 years later. There's certainly been some symmetry between the two already. Gretzky played in 1,487 career games, and Ovechkin will skate in his 1,487th game today.

[Apr 6, 2025 at 11:30 am ET · Austin Nivison]

The man of the hour has arrived at UBS Arena. The building will be full as fans are hoping to be in attendance for one of the biggest moments in hockey history. Puck drop is roughly an hour away, so stay tuned with CBS Sports as we track would could be a record-breaking day for Washington Capitals legend Alex Ovehckin.