How beautiful is the view from the top! When a young Alex Ovechkin turned to hockey to escape the pressure of a strict public school and the grim surroundings of his home in the outskirts of Moscow, he probably didn’t imagine himself standing on the top of the NHL mountain one day. But here we are.
Just like people wouldn’t believe that the band that began in a shabby garage in Washington would go on to become the now-iconic Nirvana, it was also hard for hockey fans to believe that the Russian star would one day surpass even the “Great One”. Despite scoring a staggering 52 goals in his rookie season with the Capitals, Alex Ovechkin reaching the level of Wayne Gretzky wasn’t exactly an easy prediction. But he has done it, making a two-decade-old joke age miserably.
Alex Ovechkin had all the makings of being an NHL icon
In a post by B/R Open Ice on X from April 8, a piece of Ovechkin history has been unearthed. In the 2005-06 season, Alex scored a virtually impossible goal against the Phoenix Coyotes. Falling flat on his back, the then 20-year-old still managed to send the puck into the net, prompting speculations about his potential of becoming a future legend of the sport. With that, comparisons with Gretzky also began coming up. In the social media post, captioned, “Never forget that on the broadcast of THAT Ovi goal vs. Phoenix, the Caps announcers joked about the idea of Ovi passing Gretzky’s record one day,” commentator Joe Beninati could be heard saying, “Good luck, Mr. Ovechkin,” and bursting into a laughter with Craig Laughlin over how Ovi was still 860 goals behind the Canadian.
Never forget that on the broadcast of THAT Ovi goal vs. Phoenix, the Caps announcers joked about the idea of Ovi passing Gretzky’s record one day pic.twitter.com/qKMenua9Bm
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 8, 2025
But lo and behold! The 6’3″ 238-pounder actually went on to rewrite NHL history. On Sunday, Alex Ovechkin scored his 895th goal in the Capitals’ game against the Islanders, with Wayne Gretzky fondly staring from the stands at the UBS Arena. Making things even more magical, Gretzky was also in the crowd on the day that Ovechkin scored that iconic goal two decades ago. The other common element? Joe Beninati. “Scores! The chasing days are done! Alex Ovechkin is the greatest goalscorer in the history of the NHL!” screamed the veteran commentator as the Russian breached Ilya Sorokin‘s defence.
Laughlin, a former NHL star himself, also celebrated the achievement. After Ovechkin’s massive feat on Sunday, the Capitals’ color commentator went on to X to hail the former in style. “Ovie is the best! 895 are you kidding me! This record will never be broken!” wrote the seasoned NHL figure, admitting that the Washington captain’s achievement is indeed mind-boggling. However, while Laughlin was quick to admit he hadn’t previously evaluated Alex correctly, Ovechkin’s peers are yet to step up and pay their respects.
The celebrations haven’t become the trend yet
Despite the Capitals’ winger achieving something truly titanic, his NHL colleagues haven’t really been celebrating as fans would expect them to. Daily Faceoff’s Jason Gregor noted his dissatisfaction over the matter and went on to X to share a fuming post. “What a fail by NHL players. Very few social media posts from stars mentioning Ovechkin’s record,” the journalist wrote in his social media update.
Thankfully, the Edmonton Oilers’ captain, in line with his own impressive status as an elite NHL star, shared his congratulations on Ovechkin’s incredible record. “What an accomplishment, honestly…the greatest goal scorer of all time, such an amazing feat,” Connor McDavid gleefully recorded, noting his admiration of Alex.
Wayne Gretzky himself was in awe of how Alex Ovechkin’s “Gr8 Chase” culminated. “They say records are made to be broken, but I’m not sure who’s going to get more goals than that,” the Great One said about the Russian’s success. The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, also sent his congratulations, saying, “This achievement has become not only your personal success, but also a real celebration for fans in Russia and abroad.”
If that wasn’t enough, Alex’s long-time rival and the Penguins’ captain, Sidney Crosby, stated, “Congratulations on scoring the most goals in NHL history.” But do you also think there should have been many more mentions of Alex Ovechkin after what he pulled off? Tell us your predictions about how he could finish his incredible career in a comment!
The post Alex Ovechkin’s Successful Record Chase Causes Former NHL Player’s 20-Year-Old Joke to Fall Flat appeared first on EssentiallySports.