NHL Goal-Scoring Record-Broken -

By MaggieMae Dethlefsen

895 goals scored were celebrated by the Washington Capitals with Alex Ovechkin going to center ice and belly-flopped. After scoring the record breaking goal “the Capitals and New York Islanders paused for 25 minutes for an on-ice ceremony.” To close off this important moment Wayne Gretzky, the previous holder of the record came down to be the first to shake Ovechkin’s hand to recreate the moment that Gordie Howe made for him when Gretzky broke the record.

Alex Ovechkin is the left winger for the Capitals. He is a Russian professional hockey player that joined the Capitals in 2005. During his rookie career, “Ovechkin scored two goals in his first NHL game and finished with 52 in his rookie season.”

Since he has joined the Capitals, he has had what has been called the “Alex Ovechkin Effect,” which has increased the number of players in the Potomac Valley area by 7%. During this time the Capitals have refurbished and built 14 outdoor rinks. Ovechkin has also started a charity in which “he pledged a dollar amount equal to his career goal total to pediatric cancer for every goal he scored for the rest of his career.” When that Thursday came around, each “seat had a towel saying ‘Gr8tness’ and ’895’ and an image of Ovechkin sliding across the ice as he did on Sunday.”

Just as “the Hall of Famer graciously followed the 39-year-old from one arena to the next as he closed in on his record,” hockey fans all around the country waited to see this monumental moment. Once Gretzky broke this record thirty-one years ago, many believed that no one would be able to top his record. Gretzky had 894 goals in 1487 games. When Ovechkin broke this record, his focus was on finding his family. He said that “without them, it’s basically, I don’t know if I can reach this milestone.” Once Ovechkin received a golden stick his sons Sergei and Ilya received mini replicas to be able to join in on this big celebration.

Now many wonder what the future holds for Ovechkin and his career because “he once famously told ESPN’s Linda Cohn he’d retire as soon as he broke Gretzky’s record.” However, his contract is for one more season, in which he stated would love to win another Stanley Cup.

Many are wondering if he will play again next season or if anyone in the future will beat his record. Many are predicting that Ovechkin will finish out the season with 937 career goals.

Though that is all in the future right now Ovechkin comments: “‘This is something crazy. I’m probably going to need a couple more days. Maybe a couple weeks to realize what it means to be No. 1,” Ovechkin said Sunday. “All I can say, I’m very proud. I’m very proud for myself. I’m really proud for my family, for all my teammates, that helped me to reach that milestone, and for all my coaches. It’s huge. It’s an unbelievable moment.’”