And then he was just one goal from immortality. Alexander Ovechkin scored career tally No. 894 to tie Hockey Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky for most all-time on Friday.
The Washington Capitals captain struck on a signature one-timer from the left faceoff circle on the power play in the third period, victimizing Chicago Blackhawks goalie Spencer Knight for the second time that night.
“The Great Eight,” as he’s called, skated around the ice after being mobbed by his teammates off the bench. His goal gave Washington its first lead since his first-period strike put the team up 1-0.
He spent a moment to celebrate with his son Sergei and then could be seen bowing his head to Gretzky who was in attendance in one of the Capital One Arena boxes with Ovechkin’s wife and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.
The Capitals went on to win 5-3 and improve to 49-18-9.
Ovechkin needs just one more goal to own the league’s all-time record outright. He has six more regular-season games to complete the monumental achievement.
The Capitals will play the New York Islanders on Sunday.
