ELMONT, N.Y. — No. 8 is No. 1.
Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin scored his 895th goal on Sunday, passing Wayne Gretzky for the NHL record and proving that Father Time is no match for the Russian Machine.
During Washington’s first power play of a 4-1 loss to the New York Islanders, Ovechkin did what he does best — he scored.
A laser of a snapshot from the left circle scorched past New York goaltender Ilya Sorokin into the back of the net. The ensuing eruption from fans, players and coaches might’ve registered on the Richter scale.
Ovechkin celebrated by flopping belly-first onto the ice before his ecstatic teammates swarmed him — a fitting act for a man who once took the Stanley Cup for a swim in a Georgetown fountain. The Islanders joined them on the ice, clapping their sticks before lining up to shake Ovechkin’s hand.
“It was so emotional [when I tied the record], but this was just something crazy,” Ovechkin said after the game. “Probably going to need a couple days, maybe a couple weeks to realize what does it mean to be No. 1.”
An extended ceremony followed, with Ovechkin embracing Gretzky and taking a celebratory lap around the rink, basking in adoration from fans. It was a rare act for the typically humble — even irreverent — Ovechkin.
But Sunday was, after all, a rare occasion.
“What a day, huh?” the 39-year-old asked the roaring crowd. “Like I always said, all the time, it’s a team sport and without my boys — the whole organization, the fans, the trainers, coaches — I would never stand there and obviously I would never pass the ’Great One.’”
NHL officials rolled out a blue carpet for the new record-holder as the game paused for several minutes. The fans’ cheers, claps and hollers echoed through the stadium uninterrupted until Gretzky took to the ice. There was no need to rush a moment that was decades in the making.
Former teammates like Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie flocked to the rink, joining the celebration with Gretzky and Ovechkin’s family. A pre-made video saw comments from NHL legends, former teammates and Ovechkin’s wife, mother and two sons.
“We have just witnessed history,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said on the ice.
Bettman, flanked by Capitals owner Ted Leonsis, presented Ovechkin with a league-commissioned painting depicting Washington’s captain lifting the Stanley Cup in 2018.
“I know how hard it is to get to 894; 895 is pretty special,” Gretzky said. “They say records are made to be broken, but I’m not sure who’s going to get more goals than that.”
Gretzky witnessed the goal live as part of a traveling entourage that followed Ovechkin as the Russian approached the record. The “Gr8 Chase,” as the NHL and Capitals have referred to the record hunt, captivated fans across North America and in Ovechkin’s native Russia.
“We did it, boys. We did it,” Ovechkin said, singling out Oshie and Backstrom. “All of you fans, the whole world, Russia, we did it, boys. We did it.”
Long-time teammates Tom Wilson and John Carlson handed bouquets to Ovechkin’s wife and mother, and the festivities continued while officials cleared the ice — there was still a hockey game to finish. Another video played featuring congratulations from sports icons like LeBron James, Derek Jeter, Michael Jordan and Katie Ledecky.
Those who have followed the Capitals locker room described the media attention as a circus than anything else — a fun spectacle gallivanting around the country to celebrate the most iconic player of his generation.
But the media attention was a reflection of the excitement of fans following the chase.
A diehard contingent of Washington fans packed like sardines into trains from the District as early as 5 a.m. Sunday. They piled into subways and shuttles on their way to the Islanders’ arena — anything for a chance to witness history. Reporters and TV cameras from around the country did the same, tracking the Capitals with an intensity typically reserved for heads of state.
When the record-breaker finally arrived, the building exploded. The visiting Capitals fans led the charge — “Ovi” chants were a common occurrence on Sunday. But even the hometown Islanders’ crowd couldn’t help but join in.
From the moment Ovechkin stepped onto the ice on Sunday afternoon, it was clear what the 17,000 in attendance came to see. The sellout crowd greeted Ovechkin with an ear-ringing ovation as he tied his trademark yellow laces and took the ice for pregame warm-ups.
The hungry fans wanted what viewers around the country wanted: another Ovechkin goal — No. 895. They got it.
More money was wagered on Ovechkin to score a goal Sunday than on any other prop bet in any sport, according to ESPN Bet.
Washington red appeared to outnumber Islander blue in Long Island on Sunday afternoon, especially behind the goals and the Capital’s bench. Fans young and old held signs proclaiming themselves as “Ovi’s No. 1 fan” and claiming they wouldn’t cheer until he scored.
The visiting fans made their presence felt immediately. The national anthem was met with echoes of “red” and “Oh!”, Capitals staples.
Every Ovechkin touch sent the crowd into a frenzy.
It didn’t matter whether the captain had a legitimate scoring opportunity. Just possessing the puck sucked the air out of the arena, spiked fans’ collective heart rates and caused thousands of rear ends to leave their seats. Nobody wants to be seated when they’re witnessing history.
Sorokin had the dubious honor of extending Ovechkin’s record for most goalies score upon — he was No. 183.
“Thank you to Sorokin for letting me score [No.] 895,” Ovechkin said during the game. “I love you, brother.”
Sorokin didn’t seem to mind, braving a chaotic Capitals locker room after the game to deliver another stick for Ovechkin’s collection.
Despite the loss, the Capitals celebrated as if they’d won the Stanley Cup. Ovechkin’s teammates showered him with beer in the locker room before his family returned with roses, creating an unforgettable concoction. For Capitals players and family members, the mix of sticky, beer-coated floors, rose petals and sweaty hockey pads smell like history.
Gretzky, Bettman and the Ovechkin clan joined the locker-room festivities. The Ovechkin children were wise enough to raise their shoes off the sticky floor while playing with a commemorative puck on a bench.
“It’s a testament to Ovi. Nobody has more fun that him,” Dylan Strome, who assisted on the record-breaker, said of the celebration. “The guy gets showered with 50 Stella [Artois beers] after last game and he’s the happiest guy on Earth. Just a larger-than-life character and everyone wants to see him succeed.”
Carlson saw another side of the Capitals’ captain. Ovechkin rarely mentioned it in public, but the expectations and attention were beginning to weigh on him.
“For him, there’s times where it’s extremely stressful. He’s got to balance everything that he has going on with the magnitude of it, with our team, with his family, with doing the right thing for hockey,” the defenseman said. “We were just along for the ride.”
The Russian who adopted the District as his second home will forever rank among NHL greats like Gretzky, Gordie Howe and Maurice Richard.
Ovechkin became the 10th player to hold the most treasured record in hockey. He follows Gretzky and Howe, who both held the mark for more than 30 years.
Ovechkin initially tied Gretzky with a pair of goals against the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night. The legendary duo have now played the same number of games, too: 1,487.
The goals record itself was just the latest achievement in Ovechkin’s storied career. Throughout his 19 seasons, the 39-year-old has turned the NHL record book into his personal autograph book, littering his name throughout its pages.
The achievements echo his career, from the record for empty-netters to the most power-play goals in league history. The statistics support Ovechkin’s case as one of the top goal-scorers of all time.
No one has scored more goals in a single uniform than Ovechkin has in Capitals red (and black, white and blue.)
Season No. 19 has been among the Russian’s most memorable, ranking alongside the 2017-18 Stanley Cup campaign and his 2005-06 rookie season that saw the winger take the league by storm.
The record has long seemed like an inevitability for Washington’s superstar. His contract runs through next season, and Ovechkin has noted that he’s reluctant to retire before the deal expires.
The odds weren’t in Ovechkin’s favor, as he needed 42 goals to top the leaderboard before the season began.
The longtime Capital needed a late-season outburst to finish with 31 goals last year. To analysts around the country, a vintage Ovechkin campaign seemed plausible but doubtful.
Those doubts doubled when the injury bug bit Ovechkin for the first time in his career.
A fractured left fibula in November put the “Gr8 Chase” on ice for more than five weeks. The man who once noted that “Russian machine never breaks” was sidelined for the longest stretch of his career.
He started skating two weeks later and returned to action on Dec. 28 to reignite his chase of Gretzky. Ovechkin kept pace for two months, with analytics at times predicting that he was most likely to break the record on this year’s season finale or next fall’s season opener.
Then he caught fire.
Ovechkin ended March and entered April on a vintage tear. Entering Sunday’s game, the three-time MVP had scored six goals in his last six games, flashing an unparalleled nose for the net.
Despite missing 16 games with his leg injury, Ovechkin has still led the Capitals in goals throughout the season. His 42 goals will almost assuredly make him the fifth-oldest player in league history to lead his team in goals.
At 39, he could also become the second-oldest player in league history to rank in the Top 10 in goals for a season — Gordie Howe accomplished the feat three times after turning 39. Ovechkin ranked third in the league entering Sunday’s game. Durability and consistency have been hallmarks of Ovechkin’s career.
Even legendary goal-scorers slow down as they enter their 30s, but not the “Great Eight,” a nickname fans gave him referring to his jersey number.
Ovechkin has now notched 79 of his 189 career multi-goal games since turning 30. Father Time caught Gretzky, who recorded just 27 outings with multiple goals after his 30th birthday. The inevitable age-related regression hasn’t dragged Ovechkin down yet.
Ovechkin has deflected conversations about the record throughout the season. At each opportunity, he has looked to redirect focus to his teammates or his squad’s accolades — they lead the Eastern Conference standings amid a fight with the Winnipeg Jets for the Presidents’ Trophy.
The Capitals return to the District on Thursday to face the Carolina Hurricanes. Ovechkin can expect a hero’s welcome.
“It’s history,” he said Sunday.
Soon, coach Spencer Carbery’s Capitals will prepare for a potential postseason run.
That can wait. Sunday night was reserved for celebration.
“Just elation, excitement, happiness,” Carbery said, noting that he didn’t think there was any way the climactic shot would find the net. “It was the ultimate goal for the greatest goal-scorer of all time.”
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.