Alex Ovechkin tied the NHL record for most career goals, putting him side-by-side with The Great One, Wayne Gretzky. 

Ovechkin scored the history-tying goal when he recorded his 894th goal on Friday when he found the back of the net at the 6:13 mark in the third period. 

It was his second goal of the night.

Ovechkin tied the record in the 1,486th game of his career, which began during the 2005-06 season after he was selected first overall in the 2004 NHL Draft by the Capitals.

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) pointing upwards after scoring his 894th goal on April 4, 2025. AP

FBI director is Kash Patel, left, with former NHL player Wayne Gretzky, center, and NHL Commisioner Gary Bettman, right, during the second period of an NHL hockey game between the Chicago Blackhawks and Washington Capitals, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Washington. AP

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) with the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Chicago Blackhawks, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Washington. AP

Ovechkin had been moving closer to tying Gretzky, pulling within three on April 2, scoring his 892nd goal in Carolina — the same city where the 2004 draft took place. 

The Caps forward scored the goal with Gretzky in the crowd as The Great One has been traveling with other NHL personnel — including commissioner Gary Bettman — since April 2 so that he could be on hand when Ovechkin broke the record. 

Kings’ Wayne Gretzky waves a record book listing his career goals, presented to him after he set a new NHL career-goal record with his 802nd goal against the Vancouver Canucks, on March 23, 1994. AP

“It’s just a matter of time, whether it’s late this year, early next year, whenever. I mean, he’s a great player. He’s a great goal scorer,” Gretzky told NHL.com earlier in the season.