The Washington Capitals’ game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday had everyone holding their breath. Alex Ovechkin needed a hat trick to seal his spot at the top of the NHL’s goalscoring summit. But even though that didn’t happen, Alex Ovechkin finally caught up to the Great One himself—yep, 894 goals and counting. The Washington Capitals’ captain netted his second goal of the night in the third period against the Chicago Blackhawks, tying Wayne Gretzky’s legendary record in front of a roaring home crowd. Caps went up 4-3, and to seal the deal, Ryan Leonard added some icing on the cake with an empty-netter for his first-ever NHL goal.
That final goal could well have been Ovechkin’s, and the Russian could have made history in front of the Capitals home crowd—a moment Gretzky himself had been rooting for. But when the Blackhawks pulled their goalie late into the third period in an attempt to tie the game, the Russian refused to come on to the ice. “I tell ‘Carbs’ (Capitals coach Spencer Carbery) right away, ‘I don’t want to do it,’” Ovechkin said. This only earned him more respect in the community.
After the final whistle, the vibes were just pure magic. Ovi’s teammates stayed out on the ice, soaking in the moment as the crowd broke into a thunderous “Ovi! Ovi! Ovi!” chant that echoed through the arena like a heartbeat. And in a twist of drama only hockey gods could script—Alex Ovechkin reached the iconic number in 1,486 games, just one quicker than Gretzky’s 1,487. So now, with the record officially tied, TNT decided to lean into the suspense with some juicy little hype.
Braylon Breeze came swooping in like the media insider that he is with all the juicy deets fans didn’t even know they needed, delivering the full buffet—ratings, schedules, media drama, and beyond. He shared, “TNT will air Sunday’s Capitals–Islanders matchup at 12:30 p.m. ET, potentially the final game of the #Gr8Chase. Kenny Albert, Eddie Olczyk, Brian Boucher, and Tarik El-Bashir will be on the call, with an alternate “Ovicast” broadcast available on truTV.”
And like, can we just talk about this elite-level broadcast crew? That lineup’s about to turn this regular Sunday into a full-blown hockey holiday. Add in the spicy little “OviCast” twist on truTV, and now we’ve got options, drama, and destiny all wrapped in one.
TNT will air Sunday’s Capitals–Islanders matchup at 12:30 p.m. ET, potentially the final game of the #Gr8Chase.
Kenny Albert, Eddie Olczyk, Brian Boucher, and Tarik El-Bashir will be on the call, with an alternate “Ovicast” broadcast available on truTV.
— Braylon Breeze (@Braylon_Breeze) April 5, 2025
For the uninitiated, OviCast is an alternate presentation that will be brought to viewers via a camera solely focused on the Capitals captain. What’s more? It will also have his records on display, and this will go on alongside the traditional game feed. That’s right. Witnessing history has never been this immersive.
If Alex Ovechkin decides to light the lamp this Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET (yeah, you’ve got options—TNT and truTV are both in), it won’t just be another goal—it could be the goal that snaps Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record right in front of our eyes. And here’s the wild part: there’s some low-key poetic symmetry going on. Gretzky’s final goal? Yep, it was also against the Islanders, way back in March of ‘99. And come Sunday, both Ovi and the Great One will have played exactly 1,487 games.
Oh, and let’s not forget—Alex Ovechkin’s kinda got the Islanders’ number. Dude’s already stacked 44 goals on them across 71 games. And while TNT airing this beauty is a total win for fans, let’s not ignore that their last broadcast for the Caps–Blackhawks game threw out some spicy stats that caught everyone off guard.
Alex Ovechkin’s last game shows some concerning stats!
So, picture this—Wednesday night, PNC Arena, the Capitals got absolutely steamrolled by the Hurricanes, 5-1. But hidden in all that chaos? A little golden nugget of greatness—Alex Ovechkin casually dropped his 892nd career goal. But the crowd? Kinda MIA. The moment was pure history… but it almost felt like no one was there to clap for it.
Braylon Breeze spilled the tea on X, and honestly, it was kinda brutal. “Wednesday’s #Gr8Chase non-exclusive game did not fare well in the television ratings,” he posted, and ooof—only 186,000 viewers tuned in on TNT and truTV to catch Ovi’s magic in real-time. That’s actually less than the Avalanche–Blackhawks game that aired after it, which got 191k eyeballs. For comparison? Last year’s New Jersey vs New York showdown pulled a whopping 505k. So yeah, major drop.
But hey, not all hope is lost! With the “Gr8 Chase” now this close to its finish line, and the fresh TNT broadcast update sparking all kinds of hype, fans are likely to pull up in big numbers next. The stage is set, the energy’s building, and it’s about to be history in HD.
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