Since he scored two goals in his very first game on Oct. 5, 2005, star hockey player Alex Ovechkin dominated the league when it comes to scoring goals. The young phenomenon from Moscow, Russia contains a touch to his game that we have never seen before. Fast forward 20 years, April 6, 2025, Ovechkin set himself above all. Scoring the only goal for the Washington Capitals, the 895th of his career, making him the all-time NHL scoring leader.
To understand how much this actually means to the game of hockey, we have to look at how unlikely it would be for someone to break the previous record. Wayne Gretzky, “The Great One,” held the record for 31 years, and most people believed it would stand forever. That stood until Ovechkin scored one of the most difficult goals of all time. People started to realize that this kid was special, and if someone were to break the record, it would be him.
After scoring countless highlight-reel goals, Ovechkin started the 2024-2025 season with a goal total of 853, 42 goals away from breaking the record. Ovi, now 39-years-old, and many people suspected a sharp decline in his production after a terrible performance in the playoffs the year before. With the pressure on his back to break the record this season, Ovechkin started hot with three goals in his first two games. He played well and scored a lot of goals and it looked great for him, but suddenly that vision went away. In a game against the Utah Hockey Club, Ovechkin took a hit in the leg and fractured his left fibula.
After taking five weeks off, Alex came back to the league determined. Going into his game against the Chicago Blackhawks on April 4, 2025, the record remains only three goals away. Burying two goals against the Hawks, it all seemed like it was near. Two days later, the Capitals played the Islanders in Long Island, and the whole hockey world tuned into this game. Sports fans from across the world flew in to watch this moment.
The Capitals took the ice for a powerplay in the second period, all eyes on Ovi the entire game. Washington was trailing 2-0 at the time, so they needed a bounce-back goal. As longtime Capital, Tom Wilson, enters the zone, Ovi trails in late, leaving him wide open. Wilson slides the puck across the ice to Alex, who sets up and wires a shot. As it ripped right past the goalie, the entire arena erupted and history began.
As Ovechkin set himself above all others, the game of hockey changed forever. From now on, young players will want to play and score like the Great 8. This will truly go down as the most groundbreaking in recent sports history. Lebron breaking the all-time scoring record drew breath but does not stand compared to this feat. Alexander Ovechkin changed the game for the foreseeable future.
