$3.1B-worth Capitals owner Ted Leonsis lauds Alex Ovechkin for tying Wayne Gretzky's all-time record with goal no. 894

There is now a tie for the most goals in National Hockey League history between Wayne Gretzky and Alex Ovechkin. The latter scored the 894th of his legendary career in Friday night's game on home ice for the Washington Capitals in front of a sold-out crowd at Capital One Arena.

Ovechkin's third-period goal knotted him with Gretzky and put him a single tally away from becoming the most prolific scorer in NHL history.

Capitals team owner Ted Leonsis, who has owned the club since 1999 and has a net worth of $3.1 billion (Forbes), posted the following message on his social media account after Ovechkin's 894th goal:

ALEX OVECHKIN!!!! #8 REACHES 894 🙌🙌🙌 Loyal, consistent, dependable, and the definition of class… Alex has tied a record very few people believed would ever be broken. DC believed in him all along, and @ovi8 has delivered. Next stop: 895 ! #ALLCAPS

The goal was actually Ovechkin's second of the game; he also tallied in the opening 20 minutes of play for his 893rd career goal.

Ovechkin and the Capitals will next play the New York Islanders at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York on Sunday afternoon. Like Friday night, the caravan that includes Gretzky and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman will be in attendance to potentially witness history.

Wayne Gretzky was in attendance to see his record tied

Gretzky was on hand at Capital One Arena along with NHL Commissioner and new FBI Director Kash Patel. Gretzky was interviewed shortly after the record he'd held as the NHL's best goal scorer since 1994 was tied.

"That's OK… That's what the game's all about," Gretzky said to the Monumental Sports Network shortly after Ovechkin tied him.

"Alex has been great for the game, great for Washington, great for his home country. It's wonderful. I'm very proud of him, I'm proud of what I accomplished, and that's what makes our game so wonderful, is the great athletes we have, and more importantly, the good people that they are."

Gretzky became the NHL's all-time leading scorer in 1994, breaking the record previously set by NHL Hall of Famer (and his boyhood idol) Gordie Howe.

Like Gretzky with Ovechkin, Howe was on hand in Los Angeles at the Great Western Forum to witness Gretzky break his record by scoring a goal against the Vancouver Canucks.