“I’m so embarrassed,” said Wayne Gretzky to his father Walter while chasing Gordie Howe’s record. After all, the Canadian legend has always maintained that in his eyes “Gordie Howe is the greatest hockey player ever lived, and he always will be.” Walter, of course, thought that his son was being crazy to be embarrassed about his own greatness. But he followed it up with an instruction—one that his son has been following ever since.

Thanks to assists from Dylan Strome and John Carlson, Alex Ovechkin now stands at 894 goals and one goal away from going past The Great One. Gretzky himself is following the captain’s journey—be it from the stands, or hyping up the Capitals star during interviews. And in doing so, he is following his father’s advice. But what was it?

All thanks to reporter Ben Raby, who posted it on X. The post reminded how Gretzky has said for years that he’d support Ovechkin breaking the record because it’s a tribute to his late father, Walter, who had told his son, “You make sure you have the same dignity & respect when the guy breaks your record, that Gordie Howe has shown you.”

Looking beyond the spotlight and mere records, Walter knew what greatness truly meant. “But my dad was so ahead of his time. He’s like, you know, Gordie’s so proud of you. You be proud of the guy that breaks your record,” said Gretzky. And here we go—with Ovechkin on the brink of history and Gretzky right beside him, the symmetry of greatness just seems undeniable.

Howe was following Gretzky around while he was chasing the all-time goal record. “I’m proud of you,” Howe had told Gretzky when the dust had finally settled on the chase. Well, at least that is what Gretzky remembers from that interaction. And now, with Ovechkin sitting at 894 and tied, he knows exactly what he needs to do.

Wayne Gretzky didn’t forget the promise!

But what exactly does the greatness look like? Probably like Gretzky’s powerful words when he stated, “When I was breaking Gordie Howe’s record, he was there. And I said 2 years ago that if Alex gets close to my record, I’ll be here.” And he comes right there! Not just very quietly, but with the NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman

Call it a hockey version of a historic farewell tour, and both Bettman and Gretzky are rolling right down that journey. When Ovechkin tied the record with two goals against the Blackhawks, the two were present to, witnessing history. And the plan? Well, they won’t stop showing up to every Capitals game until Ovechkin breaks the record!  “Wayne Gretzky and I were having the debate. I said with five to go we should start. He said, ‘No, we’ll do it at 4’. … We have a traveling road show,” Bettman said while speaking at a Sportradar event.

And once Ovechkin does it, it’s all going to be hockey theater at its finest. After all, he is just a goal away from breaking the record, and hey, let’s not forget how encouraged he’s been throughout the chase. And with Gretzky sending him words, it has just boosted him up every time he’s on the ice and hits the puck! “He’s looking forward, and it’s very important for me to have that kind of support,” Ovechkin shared. Now that’s the thing. Not about numbers or stats but the moments of building the class, legacy, and mutual respect like the legends!

And for Gretzky? Well, he isn’t just there to witness a record crash but to fulfill the promise he made to his father.