The Washington Capitals’ captain notched his 895th career goal Sunday afternoon against the New York Islanders, cementing his legacy as arguably the greatest pure goal scorer the sport has ever seen.

The historic marker came in quintessential Ovechkin fashion—a power-play rocket from his office in the left circle that whistled past Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin’s blocker at 7:26 of the second period. As the puck hit the back of the net, Ovechkin belly-flopped onto the ice in jubilation, sliding across the blue line in a celebration reminiscent of his infamous fountain dive following Washington’s 2018 Stanley Cup victory.

“This is something crazy,” Ovechkin said afterward. “I’m probably going to need a couple more days or maybe a couple weeks to realize what it means to be No. 1. But I can say I’m very proud. I’m really proud for myself, for my family, for all my teammates that helped me reach that milestone and for all my coaches.”

The symmetry of the moment was almost poetic. Ovechkin’s record-breaking goal came in his 1,487th career game—exactly the same number Gretzky played in his storied career. It also occurred on the 21st anniversary of the Capitals winning the 2004 NHL Draft Lottery, which gave them the right to select Ovechkin first overall.

What makes this achievement so remarkable isn’t just the astronomical number, but the journey it took to get there. When Gretzky retired in 1999 with 894 goals, the record seemed utterly untouchable. Hockey’s evolution toward defensive systems and elite goaltending made scoring increasingly difficult. Yet Ovechkin, through sheer force of will, otherworldly talent, and remarkable durability, has done the unthinkable.

The contrast between these two legends couldn’t be more striking. Gretzky, the slender Canadian playmaker with supernatural vision, accumulated goals through his genius for anticipation. Ovechkin, the powerful Russian winger with a frame built for physical dominance, has bulldozed his way into history with a shot that defensemen and goaltenders have known was coming for nearly two decades—yet remained powerless to stop.

“This is the true greatness of Alex Ovechkin,” Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said. “I saw there was nothing. I couldn’t even see Sorokin, let alone netting. And he shoots that puck, and I didn’t even know how it went in.”

The game paused for a 15-minute ceremony (that turned into a 25 minute delay in the game) featuring NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Gretzky himself, who fulfilled a promise made years ago to be present when his record fell. Wearing a No. 9 pin on his lapel to honor Gordie Howe (who held the record before him), the “Great One” shook Ovechkin’s hand and received a Russian bear hug in return.

“They say records are made to be broken,” Gretzky told the crowd, “but I’m not sure who’s going to get more goals than that.”

Ovechkin’s consistency has been his hallmark. While Gretzky’s peak seasons were more prolific (including his mind-bending 92-goal campaign in 1981-82), Ovechkin has been a model of sustained excellence, leading the league in goals nine times and scoring at least 30 in every full season of his career. Perhaps most impressively, he’s scored 415 goals after turning 30, and having broke his leg earlier this season, surpassing Gordie Howe’s previous record in that category.

This season’s chase seemed in jeopardy when Ovechkin missed 16 games with a fractured left fibula from November to December. But in typical fashion, he returned with a vengeance, scoring 27 goals in 43 games since his comeback to make history possible.

For Washington D.C., Ovechkin has been more than just a hockey player—he’s been the rock of the city’s sports scene for nearly two decades. Through presidential administrations, economic upheavals, and a pandemic, the Russian machine has remained constant, bringing joy and a Stanley Cup to a city that had long been starved for championship glory.

The record-breaking goal came in a 4-1 loss to the Islanders, but the outcome seemed almost irrelevant against the magnitude of the achievement. Ovechkin’s mother Tatyana, wife Nastya, and sons Sergei and Ilya joined the celebration, along with teammates past and present.

Nicklas Backstrom, who assisted on 279 of Ovechkin’s goals before injuries forced him to stop playing, wasn’t surprised by the timing. “When he’s close to a milestone or record, he does it right away. That’s who he is.”

At 39, with another year left on his contract, Ovechkin will continue to build on his record. The question now becomes: how high can he go? Could 1,000 goals be within reach? After witnessing what he’s already accomplished, it would be foolish to bet against him.

In a sport that reveres its history and records perhaps more than any other, Alex Ovechkin has claimed the most hallowed mark of all. The Great 8 has indeed topped The Great One, and hockey will never be the same.