Alex Ovechkin breaks NHL scoring record with 895th goal for Washington Capitals

Russian Alex Ovechkin has broken Wayne Gretzky’s NHL goalscoring record.

Two days on from going level with Gretzky on Friday, 39-year-old Washington Capitals winger Ovechkin scored the 895th goal of his NHL career in his side’s clash with the New York Islanders on Long Island.

Canadian Gretzky, widely regarded as the greatest ice hockey player of all time, had held the record since passing Gordie Howe in 1994.

Ovechkin has been with the Capitals since being the first overall pick in the 2004 NHL draft and helped the Washington franchise win the Stanley Cup for the first time in 2018.

Gretzky, a four-time Stanley Cup champion with the Edmonton Oilers in the 1980s, remains the leading point scorer in NHL history, having tallied 1,963 assists alongside his 894 goals for a total of 2,857 points.