Pat McAfee makes his feelings known about Alex Ovechkin surpassing Wayne Gretzky’s NHL goal record

After a thrilling chase that came down to the final few games of the 2024-25 season, Alex Ovechkin has officially passed Wayne Gretzky for the most goals scored in the history of the NHL.

Pat McAfee, a prominent sports commentator with ESPN, used his show's platform on Monday to discuss how impressive it is that this record has been shattered a few decades after it was initially set.

He said that no one, not even the Washington Capitals forward himself, ever thought this record would fall because it was "a number that is absolutely ludicrous."

"This Russian goal-scoring machine came over to the NHL, and all he has done literally since landing here is score goals," McAfee said. "He wins a Stanley Cup, celebrates the hell out of it, becomes a baby face, and now he's a man who's going to be remembered as the greatest goal scorer in the history of hockey."

The former NFL player lauded Ovechkin for not only scoring a ton of goals but for also carrying the NHL "on his back" for multiple decades.

"You're talking about a guy who's willing to fight," McAfee added. "You're talking about a guy that was willing to stand up for his teammates. You're talking about a guy that has been loyal to the Capitals. You're talking about a guy who cracks open an ice-cold beer after having a great night.

This guy is everything that you want to think of whenever you think of hockey."

McAfee joked that Ovechkin might not be the most handsome or have the best smile, but he can "put the puck in between the posts better than anybody in the history of the sport."

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Vladimir Putin shouts out Alex Ovechkin after goal record

Vladimir Putin was watching Alex Ovechkin's chase for NHL history. The Russian superstar had the eyes of his president, and the politician addressed Ovechkin's success in a statement.

Alex Ovechkin broke the goal record (Imagn)

ESPN quoted Putin via a statement released by the Kremlin on Monday:

"I congratulate you on your outstanding record," Putin said. "You have surpassed legendary masters in the number of goals scored in National Hockey League regular-season games."

"[It] has become not only your personal success, but also a real celebration for fans in Russia and abroad," he added. "I wish you health, good fortune [and] fighting spirit to conquer new heights in life and in sports."

Ovechkin's second-period goal was the lone one in a loss to the New York Islanders, but it was enough to break the tie with Wayne Gretzky.