For 31 years the world renowned Wayne Gretzky nicknamed the “goat of goats” has held the all time goal record in The National Hockey League. This means he has the highest total number of goals scored in any hockey player’s career ever.
No one thought that this record would ever be broken, but on April 6, 2025 Washington Capital Left Winger Alex Ovechkin scored his 895th career goal to break the all time record in their against the New York Islanders.
Here are a few stats about this incredible accomplishment. It took Ovechkin 1,487 games, which crazy enough, is the exact amount of games it took Wayne Gretzky to score 894 goals. If you do the math, that is 0.6 goals per game which is an incredible pace to keep throughout Ovechkin’s whole career.
Even more impressive is the fact that Ovechkin never slowed down. At age 39 he scored 44 goals in an 82 game season, tying for third in the league. Most players retire long before they reach Ovechkin’s age.
“What makes him such a good goal scorer is his ability to read passes for a one-timer,” said biology teacher Matthew Briggs.
Ovechkin is known for being an incredible player on the power play. In fact he’s scored 326 goals on the power play which is also an NHL record. He is known for his one timer in the left faceoff circle. In fact so many of his goals have come from that spot that it has been named “Ovi’s Office.”
Ovechkin is an incredible player playing an incredible sport. He’s announced that he is not planning on retiring next year so fans can expect more Ovechkin action.
He’s already had an incredible Stanley Cup Playoff run with 4 goals in five games against the Montreal Canadiens. They are advancing to the second round and Ovechkin will be a key player in the Capital’s success.
