Wayne Gretzky knew this day was going to come.
After he set the NHL’s all-time goal-scoring record in 1994, Gretzky’s father, Walter, told his son that the record wouldn’t last — someone would come along in the future and break the mark. And when that happened, Walter said, he hoped his son would show the same amount of respect and admiration to that player that Gordie Howe did when he watched Gretzky approach his then-record goal total of 801.
That message has stayed with Gretzky three decades later.
When Alex Ovechkin scored 219 goals in his first three NHL seasons, the speculation started.
Could Gretzky’s "unbreakable" record actually fall one day?
The goals kept coming, and what was once a speculative What If? started becoming a real possibility. Each time Gretzky has been asked about Ovechkin’s chances at the record, “The Great One” has been rooting on the Washington Capitals captain. He understood that the chase has brought positive attention to the league and has been good for the sport.
He remembered the words his father told him all those years ago.
When goal No. 895 was scored on Sunday afternoon, Gretzky was there in attendance at UBS Arena in New York to be part of hockey history and celebrate the Capitals superstar. After Ovechkin beat Ilya Sorokin for the record, the game was paused for a brief ceremony. There on the ice was Gretzky, who has been following Ovechkin around since last week. They exchanged hugs and a handshake. One era of hockey celebrating another.
Wayne Gretzky's speech as he passes the torch to the NHL's newest goals King, Alex Ovechkin 🐐 pic.twitter.com/DrEiRWxZ3O
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 6, 2025
The conclusion of the record chase is a freeing moment for Ovechkin. He has been reticent to talk about passing Gretzky. The questions have been asked for years about whether he could do it. Now that he has, the full focus can shift to the Capitals’ season, one in which they’re leading the Eastern Conference and have eyes on a second Stanley Cup title in franchise history.
That’s how hockey players are programmed: It’s about the team, not me.
What happens next, now that the chase is over, will serve as the next batch of questions facing Ovechkin, however.
Ovechkin turns 40 in September and his contract runs through the 2025-26 season. He’s talked about finishing his career where he started — with Dynamo Moscow of Russia’s KHL. But he’s also said he sees himself retiring once his deal expires after next season. He has not scored fewer than 30 goals in a full NHL season ever and the goal-scoring magic is still there with the record-breaking goal also serving as his 42nd this season — the 14th time he’s hit the 40-goal mark in his 20 seasons.
“The Great 8” doesn’t sound like he’s planning to hang around and be a liability on the ice as the grays in his hair increase. He’s content with going out on top with his powers still intact.
It’s not outlandish to think the goal record could end up being around 950 when all is said and done with his career. Ovechkin’s shot remains lethal and opposing teams have been unable to figure out a way to limit his effectiveness in his favorite spot on the ice — the left faceoff circle, also known as the “Ovi spot.”
Ovechkin moving past Gretzky and eventually settling on a final total when he retires will spark the next great debate: Who could threaten Ovechkin’s record?
Among active NHL players under the age of 30 in the top 13 on the list of career goal scorers are Edmonton Oilers star Leon Draisaitl (29) at 399 goals; Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews (27) at 397; and Boston Bruins star David Pastrnak (28) at 383 goals.
Only Matthews is averaging over 0.6 goals per game in their career, like Ovechkin has. He may be the biggest threat now, but he has a lot of work to do.
Whether it’s Matthews or another future NHL star, the hockey world will be waiting a while — possibly a long while — before we have a goal chase like this again.
When Howe originally set the record that Gretzky would eventually break, he did so in 1963 with his 545th goal to pass Montreal Canadiens great Maurice "The Rocket" Richard.
It took 26 years for someone to leap-frog Gretzky. As NHL players get bigger, faster and stronger — including goaltenders — the wait for Ovechkin’s record to come under threat may take much longer, if someone like Matthews is even able to come at the goal-scoring king and not miss.