And just like that, the chase lives on—Alex Ovechkin’s legendary stick was at it again, lighting the lamp for the 893rd time in his NHL journey! It all went down early—3:52 into the first—with Ovi doing what he does best: camping near that bottom right circle, cocking that lethal one-timer, and hammering home a sweet feed from Dylan Strome past Chicago’s Spencer Knight. That one wasn’t just any goal—it was his 40th this season, making it the 14th time he’s hit the big 4-0 mark. No one in NHL history has done that more. Not even Gretzky, who has 12. But he did not stop there.
He went in and scored his 894th goal—tying the Great One’s record. But that’s not all that had fans doing double takes—Wayne Gretzky himself popped up in the crowd with some surprisingly unexpected company, raising more than a few eyebrows.
Who was with Wayne Gretzky?
So here’s what went down—on April 4, SportsCenter jumped on X and dropped a video that had hockey Twitter buzzing. Yup, it showed the Wayne Gretzky chillin’ in the stands, soaking in the moment and cheering on Alex Ovechkin, who’s this close to skating past his legendary records. The entire arena felt the weight of history—fans rose to their feet for the Great One, the Caps players banged their sticks in respect, and it felt like the whole hockey universe paused.
Wayne Gretzky is in the building to watch Alex Ovechkin’s Gr8 Chase
ESPN+/Hulu/Disney+ pic.twitter.com/wxVd6EhQpP
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 4, 2025
The caption? Pure chills: “Wayne Gretzky is in the building to watch Alex Ovechkin’s Gr8 Chase.” But hold up, because the internet sleuths weren’t done yet. One sharp-eyed fan caught a glimpse of someone else in Gretzky’s orbit and dropped the comment that had everyone spiraling: “What’s the dude from the FBI doing there?” And who was it?
None other than Kash Patel—yup, that Kash, the American lawyer and ex-federal prosecutor who’s now the director of the FBI. Naturally, folks were scratching their heads and throwing around theories like pucks during warmups. What’s a federal boss doing next to hockey royalty? But this was just the beginning, as many other NHL fans raised a few eyebrows!
Fans confused over Gretzky’s company!
Now that’s what you call a loaded front row! Another fan jumped into the mix saying, “Wayne Gretzky, with Kash Patel and Gary Bettman, at the Caps game tonight to witness Ovie chase the all-time goal record. Talk about a power play!” And honestly? They weren’t lying—this wasn’t just your average celeb sighting.
Yup, not only did The Great One roll through, but he brought along Kash Patel and Gary Bettman, the long-standing NHL boss man who’s been holding the commissioner post since ’93. That’s why fans couldn’t help but squint at the screen and ask, “why is kash patel sitting next to gretzky and bettman.” Like… is this a hockey game or a behind-the-scenes summit of the power bros? Either way, the vibes were strong and the mystery, stronger.
LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 28: Former NHL player Wayne Gretzky visits players in the locker room prior to the 2017 NHL All-Star Celebrity Shootout at Staples Center on January 28, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NHLI via Getty Images)
And while the star-studded arena was glowing like a red carpet on ice, there was one familiar face noticeably MIA—Paulina Gretzky. Yep, Wayne’s daughter, who’s usually turning heads at every rink-side moment, was off at a gold game for her husband, Dustin Johnson, at a LIV Golf event instead. For the uninitiated, LIV ain’t just some fancy name—it stands for 54 in Roman numerals, the number of holes they play in each event. But even with Paulina missing from the spotlight, fans still had their fill of glitz and glam. One fan nailed the vibe perfectly: “The GOAT with Wayne Gretzky at the Capitals game. Kash Patel loves hockey. ”
And you know what? They weren’t kidding—Kash Patel isn’t just some casual weekend warrior on skates. Nope, this guy’s got serious puck cred. He’s not out here just launching random lobs and hoping for the best—he’s suiting up alongside ex-college studs and even former NHLers. One of his rink mates? None other than Karl Alzner, the former Capitals defenseman and Hershey Bears legend. Patel’s squad, The Dons, isn’t just showing up either—they’ve bagged four MedStar Capitals IcePlex Adult League titles. So yeah, when someone blurted out, “I think that’s Kash Patel sitting beside Wayne Gretzky at the Caps Ovichkin Watch. Yeah?”—they were definitely onto something.
The post Wayne Gretzky Baffles NHL With an Unexpected Company for Alex Ovechkin’s Game While Daughter Paulina Misses appeared first on EssentiallySports.