Alex Ovechkin snatches NHL 2nd all-time goal scorer crown, crosses Gordie Howe with 802 record

Following chronicles of events, Washington Capitals Alex Ovechkin finally passed the legendary Gordie Howe’s all-time goal record. Ovie ‘The Great Eight’ etched his name on the National Hockey League’s 2nd All-Time scorer list. Now, it’s only the Great One left, 92 goals ahead of Ovie.

Friday, in the game against the Winnipeg Jets, the Capitals scored 4-1 in victory as the whole Capital One Arena erupted in cheers. Ovechkin’s special night was celebrated by his teammates, the fans, the Jets, and his family. His wife Nastya and two sons Ilya and Sergei were in accordance to record the moment.

Ovechkin noted, “You never thought it’s going to happen when you came into the League, you’re going to beat any Gordie Howe record or Wayne Gretzky record or any record”. “

You felt like, ‘OK, maybe you’re going to play in the NHL, you’re going to be good and you’re going to try to do your best,’ but the whole situation happening right now, it’s a miracle. You know, it’s pretty special.”

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Capitals along with Jets celebrate Alex Ovechkin’s historic moment

Alex Ovechkin’s first goal came in a drop pass from Dylan Strome at 18:22 of the first period, and the second was an empty net goal in the third period with 1.00 remaining. Ovechkin said, “It’s a historic moment”. Howe’s son Mark congratulated the Great Eight in a video played on the center stage screen.

Ovechkin whose sight will now fix on the Great One’s record said,  “Still a long way. Right now, it’s time to spend time with the family, just enjoy this moment.” Gretzky who stands at the pick of the NHL all-time list with 894 goals, retired from the ice after the 1998-99 season.

Evgeny Kuznetsov who possessed the puck before the empty net was reluctant to score the goal himself. He stated that he knew it was Ovie’s moment and he had no intention of denying the fans what they want. 

Funnily enough, Ovie returned the puck to Evgeny as the other once again tried passing it onto him, stating, “I’ll feel probably bad if I score there, and half of the world probably will be so mad at me.” 

Ovechkin said, “It’s the kind of situation where if you have a chance to take it, you take it”. “I give it to ‘Kuzy’ and he’s like, ‘I don’t want to take it.’ But after that, it’s special.” Capitals coach Peter Laviolette said, “I don’t want to say once in a lifetime, but moments like that in hockey rarely come up…” 

“…and you pause the game to honor somebody for such a special achievement”. “What he has been able to accomplish here in Washington is truly unbelievable.” More historic moments were yet to be noted. As the crowd celebrated Ovie, the Jets after the game lined up to shake his hands and congratulate him.

This type of thing is usually seen during playoffs so it was a pretty special moment to just pause and appreciate what’s in front of you. Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey said, “When you see a guy put up numbers like that, just the magnitude, he passed Gordie Howe”. 

“Gordie Howe is a legend of the game. He’s almost on the, potentially, the ‘Mount Rushmore’ of hockey, and ‘Ovi’ just passed him. The crowd, the locker room, everywhere you go only shouts of “Ovi! Ovi!” could be heard.

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