Wayne Gretzky promises Alex Ovechkin a massive gift if he manages to hit record 900 goals

Washington Capitals’ left wing Alex Ovechkin made history Sunday night, breaking Wayne Gretzky’s goalscoring record. The Russian forward scored the 895th goal of his career during the game against the New York Islanders, overtaking Gretzky’s tally of 894.

Gretzky was at the UBS Arena for the historic moment and rose to his feet to celebrate the achievement. The game was halted for a special on-ice ceremony to commemorate the record. During the event, Gretzky and Ovechkin shared a special moment, which was caught by the mic the latter was wearing on the night.

“Honestly, the best thing that’s ever happened to hockey. You get to 900 and I might buy you a car,” Gretzky can be heard saying.

“I will try,” Ovechkin replied.

Ovechkin’s historic goal came at 7:26 in the second period of the game on a power play. Capitals’ center Tom Wilson sent a sideways pass across the ice to Ovechkin, who picked it up just outside the left face-off circle, steadied himself and then sent a wrist shot flying past Islanders’ goalie Ilya Sorokin.

After the goal was confirmed, Ovechkin raised his arms and dived to slide across the ice in celebration before being mobbed by his teammates.

“This is something crazy,” Ovechkin said via NHL.com. “I'm probably going to need a couple more days or maybe a couple weeks to realize what does it mean to be No. 1. But I can say I'm very proud. I'm really proud for myself. I'm really proud for my family, for all my teammates that help me to reach that milestone and for all my coaches. It's huge. It's unbelievable. It's an unbelievable moment and I'm happy.”

Wayne Gretzky presents Alex Ovechkin with a commemorative painting to mark the record

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and hockey legend Wayne Gretzky joined Alex Ovechkin on the ice during a 15-minute ceremony to celebrate the new record.

The duo presented Ovechkin with a 5-by-2-foot oil painting featuring Ovechkin lifting the Stanley Cup (a recreation of the moment when the Capitals won the trophy in 2018) in the background, and Gretzky in Oilers gear and Ovechkin taking on one of his signature slap shots in the foreground.

“They say records are made to be broken,” Gretzky said via NHL.com, “but I’m not sure who’s going to get more goals than that.”

The 64-year-old Gretzky retired after the 1998-99 season with 894 goals in 1,487 games during 20 seasons in the NHL. Ovechkin scored his 895th goal in his 1,487th game and during his 20th season with the Capitals.