Alex Ovechkin made history by scoring his 895th career goal, surpassing Wayne Gretzky's long-standing record. This milestone was celebrated during a mid-game ceremony attended by dignitaries including NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Gretzky himself. Emphasizing the significance of Ovechkin's accomplishment, Bettman and Gretzky highlighted the magnitude of breaking a record thought to be unbreakable. Gretzky, reflecting on his own experience, congratulated Ovechkin, adorned a pin in memory of Gordie Howe, and expressed skepticism about whether anyone would surpass Ovechkin's new mark, underscoring its historical weight.
"We have all just witnessed history," Bettman said to kick things off. "Wayne, you'll always be 'The Great One,' but you had a record that no one thought would ever be broken, but Alex, you did it. You have been amazing.... Thank you for all you have given the game."
"I can tell you first hand, I know how hard it is to get 894, 895 is pretty special," Gretzky said. "My congratulations to not only Alex, his mom and dad, his family, his wife and kids. When I broke the record, my two kids were about the age of his boys, so it’s kind of reminiscent for me and I’m so happy that two of my boys are here tonight."
"They say records are made to be broken, but I'm not sure who's going to get more goals than that," he said, incredulous. "I said I'd be the first guy to shake your hand when you broke the record."
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