Take a stroll back to February 23, 2025. The Washington Capitals were facing the Edmonton Oilers. Excitement and anger on both sides of the teams filled the NHL arena, and the Capitals’ star player, Alex Ovechkin, lands back-to-back three goals. That moment amazed the NHL world. That hat-trick put Ovechkin 13 goals closer to breaking the all-time record of legend Wayne Gretzky. Only 13 goals. And you know what? Alex Ovechkin did it.

The Russian Maestro finally broke the record. So, Ovechkin’s 39 now, and coming into the season, he needed 42 goals to pass Gretzky’s long-standing record of 894 career goals—it’s been untouched since ’99. On Friday, he scored twice to tie it up, and then followed it up with another goal on Sunday against the Islanders, officially becoming the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer. Pretty wild moment.

To congratulate the 39-year-old veteran, Tom Brady, Jayden Daniels and the NFL world shared their heartfelt messages. The Washington Commanders‘ rookie QB shared the NHL’s official post, which says 895, the number of goals Ovechkin has scored to break that record. Daniels only put a GOAT emoji on that story, celebrating the legendary feat in hockey. And joining the Commanders QB, the San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle shared ESPN’s tributary post, which says, “The Goal was Gr8ness,” with claps 👏 emojis. But hold on for Tom Brady’s reaction. 

Tom Brady didn’t just put graphics on Instagram stories, but he made a selfie video and shared a congratulatory message. In his IG story, Brady said, “Ovi, what’s up, my man? Congratulations. You did it, man. You reached the summit. Nobody should be surprised.” And also added, “You smashed the record and are still playing the game at the highest level.” The football GOAT didn’t stop there and added more.

Brady continued, “You are showing everybody, all athletes and all sports, that ‘no matter what, you can always raise the bar. And you have done that.” Lastly, Tom Brady said, “So, thanks for your inspiration, thanks for your commitment to greatness, and congratulations.” Even Brady couldn’t hold his feelings after seeing the greatness of hockey. It was such a historic moment in sports history. But do you know what Ovechkin said after that 895th smash? He said only one word after scoring the historic goal that will inspire many for decades. 

Alex Ovechkin, 895th goal and gr8ness

Wayne Gretzky’s father was right, indeed. When Gretzky scored his 895th goal in 1994, his dad told him that this record would not last long and somebody would break it in the future. After 31 years, the 39-year-old veteran conquered the summit of 895 goals. 

Alex Ovechkin has now broken the NHL’s all-time goal record of 894 and engraved his name in history books. It was the Washington Capitals vs the New York Islanders. Everybody was aware that at any point in the game, Ovi could score the 895th goal and break Gretzky’s leading scorer record. And you know what one word he said after scoring that goal?

The game between the Islanders and Capitals had reached a critical point—Washington was trailing by two, with the score sitting at 0-2 in the second period. Then, things began to shift. Just 1:36 into a powerplay, Ovechkin received a pass and absolutely hammered it into the net. Goal.

What followed was nothing short of surreal. After scoring, Ovechkin slid down to the ice, completely surrounded by his teammates in celebration. It was a moment frozen in time. And then, with one word, he captured the weight of it all: “History.”

Truly, it was an inspirational moment. In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising if, years from now, a great hockey player says they first fell in love with the game after witnessing that very goal. Moments like this don’t just win games—they ignite futures.