WASHINGTON (AP) — Alex Ovechkin skated over to his son Sergei at the glass. He bowed to Wayne Gretzky standing in a suite. He blew kisses to his wife, mother and family on the other side of the arena.
In signature dramatic fashion, Ovechkin scored the 894th goal of his career — and second of the game — to tie Gretzky's NHL record and set off a wild celebration among his Washington Capitals teammates on the ice and in the stands of the only building he has called home for the past two decades.
“I’m still a little shaking and still can’t believe it,” Ovechkin said with Gretzky sitting beside him after Washington's 5-3 win over Chicago on Friday night. "It’s history. It’s great for the game. It’s great to do it here. It’s special.”
Another special moment awaits if and win Ovechkin scores his 895th goal to break one of hockey's records that looked unbreakable. But the chance to celebrate at home with Capitals players past and present and match Gretzky made it a moment Ovechkin will never forget.
Neither will Gretzky, who along with Ovechkin is the league's co-leading goal-scorer for the time being.
“I can live with that for 24 more hours,” Gretzky said. “I can still say I’m tied for the most.”
0vechkin scored No. 894 from his spot in the left faceoff circle on the power play on a pass from longtime teammate John Carlson with 13:47 left in the third period. The goal — his 41st of the season and record-setting 136th game-winner to break a tie with Jaromir Jagr — caused teammates to spill off the bench and mob Ovechkin in the corner of the rink.
“We kind of looked at each other just and said, ‘Screw it, I’m going,’” winger Tom Wilson said. “It was just so cool to be a part of it as a group.”
Ovechkin's goal song, “Shake, Rattle & Roll” by Big Joe Turner,” blared from the speakers, and mascot Slapshot flipped the counter in one corner from 893 to 894 as fans rose to their feet and stayed there to applaud the accomplishment. The 39-year-old who has spent his entire career with Washington skated circles around center ice to implore for more, in between his emotional moments paying tribute to Gretzky and his family.
“That was awesome,” said center Dylan Strome, who set up Ovechkin's 893rd goal. “Like, you’re left speechless and they still got to play the game and try to find him for one more.”
Amazingly, Ovechkin almost got another one. He had chances in the final 10 minutes and either missed the net or was denied by Spencer Knight, one of a record 182 different goaltenders he has scored on during his career.
“I just guess I’m glad he didn’t get the last one,” Knight said. “But, yeah, it’s cool to see, it’s great for the sport.”
One way Ovechkin refused to get No. 895 was into an empty net. He told coach Spencer Carbery and others he wanted no part of passing Gretzky like that.
"He wants to break the record with a goaltender in the crease, which I appreciate,” Carbery said. “He told me that on the bench, and I just wanted to confirm that he didn’t want to go out. And it’s hard for us as coaches because I just wanted to make sure in that moment: hat trick, at home. And he didn’t want to go out and score on an empty net to break the record. We have six games left, and he wants to break the record and have that moment where he’s shooting the puck past a goalie.”
Afterward, Blackhawks players stayed on the ice to do a handshake line with Ovechkin, who gets his next chance to break the record Sunday at the New York Islanders.
“Obviously very classy by the Hawks organization what they did tonight for ‘O’ and it’s as good as it gets,” Wilson said. “We have more to look forward to hopefully, but this was an incredible night.”
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press
