Categories: sports

Alex Ovechkin breaks the NHL career goals from Wayne Gretzky

New York (AP) – Alex Ovechkin Pulled roughly the perfect shot of the place on the ice which defined its remarkable career. When the washer hit the net, it made him the top scorer in the NHL history.

Ovechkin scored his 895th career goal in the Washington capital match on Sunday against the New York Icelanders, defeating his Russian compatriot Ilya Sorokin on a power game with 12:34 to do in the second period. He took a cross pass from his longtime teammate Tom Wilson and pulled a laser past Sorokin with defender Jakob Chychrun from the projection.

Capitals coach Spencer Carbery called him “the ultimate goal goal for the greatest of all time”.

With the excitement of a child, the 39 -year -old belly collapsed on the ice while tens of thousands of fans around him applauded and chanted: “Ovi! Ovi!” While the teammates spread from the bench, combining it to celebrate.

“I will probably need a few more days or maybe a few weeks to realize what it means to be No. 1,” said Ovechkin after a 4-1 Loss It was always a party for capital. “I’m really proud for myself. I am really proud of my family, for all my teammates who help me reach this stage and for all my coaches. It’s huge. It’s amazing. It’s an incredible moment, and I’m happy. “

Ovechkin had never scored on Sorokin before, making his compatriot the 183rd different goalkeeper he beat. “Thanks to Sorokin to let me score 895,” said Ovechkin. “I love you, brother. Ovechkin asked him for the stick, and Sorokin forced after writing “895!” and sign it.

That any player has reached 895 goals, breaking a record that experienced 31 years, seemed unreal to those who did it.

“It’s really incredible,” said the Dylan Strome center, which obtained secondary assistance to pass the washer to Wilson. “Sometimes these moments occur when you have to somehow pinch you to believe that you are really at this time and really on the ice to celebrate or part of that, and it was great.”

Ovechkin broke a record that seemed to be one of the most untouchable in sports. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman made sure to emphasize it when he opened the 10 -minute ceremony to celebrate the milestone.

“Wayne, you will always be the” big “and you had a record that nobody ever thought of being broken,” said Bettman. “But Alex, you did.”

The first to obtain Ovechkin hugs were the longtime equipment managers Craig “Woody” Leydig and Brock Myles, as well as the rest of the training and changing rooms that have been there for so long. Ovechkin praised to recognize the crowd and crossed a handshake line with the Islanders while the crew members were set up for the 895 ceremony which was for months.

Ovechkin obtained a portrait of himself and Gretzky. Janet Gretzky presented a gift to Ovechkin’s wife, Nastya, just as Colleen Howe did when her husband broke Gordie’s record in 1994. Ovechkin obtained No. 895 in his 1,487th match – the same number with Gretzky.

Gretzky shakes Ovechkin’s hand, kissed him and congratulated the “Great 8” and his family for accomplishment.

“They say that records are made to be broken, but I don’t know who will get more goals than that,” said Gretzky.

Ovechkin took Gretzky’s microphone as a torch spent from one game legend to another. He thanked the injured teammates Nicklas Backstrom and TJ Oshie, with whom he won the Stanley Cup in 2018, and expressed his affection for his wife, mother and two sons standing nearby.

“We did it, the boys. We did it,” said Ovechkin. “And the most important thing, for my mom, my family, my beautiful wife, my stepfather, my beautiful children, thank you. I love you very much, and without you, without your support, I would never stay here.

More “ovi!” The songs followed. Many others arrive while he will try to reach 900.

Total of Gretzky Out of 894, the goals seemed to be inaccessible for a long time. Ovechkin spent it even after missing 16 games in November and December due to A broken left legA testimony of its sustainability and a talent to put the washer in the net regularly for two decades. He has exceeded 40 goals this season for the 14th time – two more than Gretzky and also the most in the history of the league – and now has 42.

“Doing what he is doing at this age is incredible,” said his longtime teammate John Carlson, who helped equalize goal n ° 894. “I think people were sleeping there too. Just, like, he missed two months and he could score 50 goals. How crazy.”

The pursuit of the big 8, a nickname honoring his jersey number, caught the attention of North America to Ovechkin’s native Russia, Where the display panels and the goals have applauded and followed its efforts. It helped Ovechkin that his team is one of the best in the NHL this season, defying expectations.

Gretzky broke the Howwe record just over 31 years ago since he scored 802 on March 23, 1994. He added 92 more before retiring in 1999 after a total of 1,487 games out of 20 seasons.

Even with this falling to Ovechkin, Gretzky holds 54 NHL records, and two seem really untouchable: 2,857 total points and 1,963 assists, the latter is more than anyone who has goals and combined assists.

For the aims of the NHL qualifiers, which do not count for the record, Gretzky has the most (122). Ovechkin has 72. Gretzky also had 56 others in the regular season and in the World Hockey Association playoffs, while Ovechkin has 57 of his time in the KHL, the best League in Russia.

Back to Russia to play in front of the family and friends is an option at some point for Ovechkin, who has a season after this on the $ 47.5 million contract over five years He signed in 2021, which brought him to the age of 40 to give him enough time to hunt the Gretzky record. Instead, he did it earlier than anyone could have expected realistically.