Let’s rewind the hockey tape to March when Alex Ovechkin and Co. were back at it again—doing what they do best. Just casually sliding right into those Stanley Cup playoffs like they owned the ice (because, um, they kinda do). And now—cue the dramatic music—we’ve got a spicy little face-off brewing as the Washington Capitals take one last regular-season dance with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Caps are sitting pretty with a glitzy 111 points and that shiny No. 1 Eastern Conference seed, while the Penguins… well, let’s just say they’ve hit the snooze button on playoffs for the third year in a row. But wait, there’s more! This showdown is also serving up Chapter 73 (yep, seventy-three!) of the eternal Ovi vs. Sid saga.

Ovechkin, the goal king himself, and Crosby, the smooth operator with three Cups to his name—these two legends never disappoint. Crosby’s sitting on a sweet 93 points in their matchups, while Ovi’s brought the thunder with 67 points. The Caps, trying to shake off a rough patch (4-6-1 lately), just snapped back with a fiery 3-1 dub over the Islanders—Strome dropped a hat trick like confetti, and Lindgren was a brick wall in goal. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh had a bit of momentum until Boston came through like “nope,” and handed them a 4-1 L. Oh—and let’s not forget: Alex Ovechkin just flexed on Brad Marchand for another hockey crown before the playoff lights even got warm.

On April 16th, NHL on TNT hopped on X and dropped a hilarious video that had hockey fans losing it. It opened with John Cooper, last year’s TNT award winner, saying, “Okay Ovi, I know you broke some little record I guess people were talking about…” (LOL—some record? Try Gretzky’s all-time goals record). Then he got real, saying, “What you’ve just won now pales in comparison to that… I brought a special guest and the only other two people that ever won this award… We only have like three combined Stanley Cups and we have a combined 423 goals.”

Boom—Brad Marchand shows up, full chaos energy as always, and says, “Yeah, obviously congratulations on surpassing Gretzky’s record. This is a trophy he will never be able to take from you. So huge congratulations on being one of the three, one of the big three.” And then, cool as ever, Alex Ovechkin goes, “Hey, it’s great to win the TNT award. Thank you guys. Happy. So thank you.” The caption? “From the former Mr. TNT winners to this year’s… Alex Ovechkin is the WINNER of the 2024-2025 Mr. TNT Award.” Yep—Ovi didn’t just beat records, he beat Brad Marchand for the crown. Again.

And yup—Ovi’s got another one! Because honestly? He totally earned it, no questions asked. Just a few days ago, the hockey world stopped spinning for a sec as The Great Eight officially became the greatest to ever do it. Yup, Alex Ovechkin finally caught that ghost of a record and zoomed past Wayne Gretzky, netting his mind-blowing 895th career goal. It went down at UBS Arena, and it was classic Ovi—top of the left circle, power play, absolute laser. Boom. Net ripper. And just like that, the king of goals had a new name etched in hockey history.

And what a moment it was—he hit that puck like thunder and then launched into a full-on swan dive straight to center ice like it was a Stanley Cup celebration. Players from both squads came flying off the benches, and the crowd—majority Caps fans, by the way—went wild like they just saw a rockstar land on ice. Pure goosebumps. And let’s be real, this ain’t Ovi’s first honor after making history.

Alex Ovechkin gets honored after surpassing Wayne Gretzky’s record!

A few days back, the vibes at Capital One Arena were nothing short of legendary. Alex Ovechkin didn’t just break a record—he broke the record. So naturally, the Caps went all out for their golden guy. Before puck drop on Thursday, the spotlight hit Ovi like a warm spotlight on Broadway. Fans rolled in to find towels draped over every seat, flexing that bold “Gr8tness” and “895” logo, plus that iconic image of Ovi sliding across the ice like the king of hockey he truly is. Then boom—out rolled the red carpet of gifts.

We’re talking about a six-foot statue (yup, six!), a glistening golden stick engraved for the history books, and an extra shiny Rolex for the man of the hour. And hey, the NHL didn’t forget about the fam—his sons, Sergei and Ilya, got their own golden mini-sticks (though Joe Beninati playfully warned them not to go whacking dad in the knees with them). Ovi’s wife, Nastya, was gleaming too, rocking a Cartier watch, and his mom, Tatyana, matched him with her own Rolex. Ice? Nah, that’s family flexing in gold and timepieces.

Let’s not forget—this whole honor show hit just days after Ovechkin lit the lamp for No. 895 against the Islanders, surpassing The Great One himself. It took him exactly 1,487 games—the same number Gretzky played in his entire Hall of Fame run. From Ilya Sorokin handing him a post-game stick to the NHL gifting him a custom painting, the man’s been showered in love, legacy, and luxury. Records? Yeah, Ovi’s not just breaking them—he’s rewriting the playbook in golden ink.