Ovechkin Passes Gretzky
Goal 895 and the record nobody thought would fall. Wayne Gretzky's 894 goals looked untouchable for 26 years. In April 2025 Alex Ovechkin scored number 895, then became the first player to reach 900.
Ovechkin in 2026: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0
The Great One's number
When Wayne Gretzky retired in 1999 he owned more than 60 NHL records, and his 894 regular season goals seemed the safest of all. Scoring had dropped across the league, goalies had become giants in huge pads, and nobody was scoring 50 goals a season the way Gretzky's Oilers had in the 1980s.
Then Alex Ovechkin arrived in Washington in 2005. The first overall pick of the 2004 draft scored 52 goals as a rookie and won the Calder Trophy. He kept going, season after season, mostly from the same spot: the left faceoff circle on the power play, where his one-timer became the most feared shot in hockey.
Ovechkin's other trademark is joy. He celebrates goals by leaping into the glass, and as a rookie he scored a famous goal against Phoenix while sliding on his back, sweeping the puck in with one hand on his stick.
The chase
Ovechkin won the Rocket Richard Trophy as the league's top goal scorer a record nine times and set an NHL record with 14 seasons of 40 goals or more. In 2018 he finally lifted the Stanley Cup and was named playoff MVP. Still, as he passed 700 and then 800 goals, the question grew louder: could he really catch Gretzky?
In the 2024-25 season, at age 39, he broke his leg in November and still scored 44 goals. On 4 April 2025 he scored twice in Chicago to tie the record at 894.
Goal 895
Two days later, on 6 April 2025, Ovechkin scored on a power play against the New York Islanders. It was his 895th goal, and it came in his 1,487th game, exactly the same number of games Gretzky played in his whole career. Gretzky, who had said for years that he wanted to be the first to shake the new record holder's hand, came down to the ice to congratulate him.
On 5 November 2025 Ovechkin scored against the St. Louis Blues to become the first player ever with 900 NHL goals. In October 2026 he announced that the 2026-27 season would be his last in the league.
The game was paused for an on-ice celebration as teammates poured off the bench and his family joined him on the ice.
A record built on durability
Ovechkin's record is about more than a great shot. He stayed healthy, stayed hungry and scored at least 20 goals for 20 straight seasons. Gretzky still holds the career points and assists records, but the goals crown now belongs to the man in the left circle.
