It was big! The joyous jolt that will never be forgotten in the history of the NHL. The cheers were well worth it when Alex Ovechkin crossed the enormous 894 mark. From speeches to diamond rings to a goat exhibit (yes, an exhibit with an actual goat), the festivities have been nothing short of grand for the completion of the Gr8 Chase. But while the hockey community is busy soaking up the moment, Ovechkin cut a more contemplative figure at the Capital One Arena.

This personal revelation came on Friday, when Ovechkin’s historic transcendence was celebrated. During the Gr8 City Celebration, the area was decorated grandly. The arena had undergone a complete makeover: there were booths, interactive stations, and a big stage at center ice. That’s where Ovi took the mic, thanked the fans for supporting him all these years, and looked back on what it meant to hit 895 goals and spend his career in D.C.

Alex Ovechkin stated, “It’s going to be a tremendous feeling when everything is going to be over and we’re going to meet up in five years or 10 years and we’re going to remember this moment because it’s history.”

The 39-year-old added, “Right now, it’s been, like, five days, and it’s still crazy what we did. It’s all the organization, all the players. It’s hard to believe, like, history was made. It’s going to be forever. It’s nice to be part of it. It’s nice to be standing here and seeing all you guys. I’m pretty sure lots of fans, lots of people who were watching it, they’re going to remember, ‘Wow, I been there, I watched it on TV.’ It’s history, man.”

Alex Ovechkin was already looking towards the future; there’s no doubt that this moment will continue to feel special for years and even decades to come. But while he and the Washington Capitals community take the time to soak it all in, the celebrations raged on.

Celebrating Alex Ovechkin’s once-in-a-lifetime achievement

The big one was the GR8 City Celebration at the Capital One Arena. Not only was it filled with activities for fans to enjoy, but it also represented a chance for them to get autographs from former Caps greats and even get a glimpse of that fateful puck! That’s right, the puck that made history was brought in from Long Island so fans who missed out on being there in person could also get a good look.

And then, of course, was the aforementioned goat exhibit. It was a mini petting zoo of sorts as fans were able to pet the goat and take photos with it. But the goat’s role didn’t just end there. At the end of the event, it was Ovechkin’s longtime friend and teammate, Nicklas Backstrom, who emerged holding a baby goat. “We now present you, the goat,” he said before handing it to Alex Ovechkin. And Ovechkin played along gamely, carrying the goat with ease! As you can imagine, it made for quite the iconic photo op.

And then there was the more official, pre-game ceremony before the Caps took on the Hurricanes at the Capital One Arena on Thursday. “I think it’s important to celebrate the milestone with our fans in our building. We want to do that the right way, and the organization always does a first-class job of those ceremonies and honoring milestones,” said coach Spencer Carbery.

In addition, Montgomery Parks in Wheaton, Maryland, announced that they would be hosting a special Great 8 Skates event at two of their ice rinks in honor of Ovechkin. Tickets were priced at $8, a $5 discount for an afternoon public skating session. “We want to keep up the excitement in this area related to Alex Ovechkin’s record-breaking goal this week,” said the skating director for Montgomery Parks, Jennifer Cashen.

Well, with a milestone like this, there really can’t be too much celebrating. The hockey world may never see this record broken again, so it’s only natural to honor and commemorate Alex Ovechkin’s achievement as much as possible!