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Wayne Gretzky’s Quote About Alex Ovechkin Breaking His NHL Record Was All Class

Kristen Wong

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 04: Wayne Gretzky acknowledges the fans during the game between the Washington Capitals and the Chicago Blackhawks at Capital One Arena on April 04, 2025 in Washington, DC.
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 04: Wayne Gretzky acknowledges the fans during the game between the Washington Capitals and the Chicago Blackhawks at Capital One Arena on April 04, 2025 in Washington, DC. / Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
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When Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin tied Wayne Gretzky for the all-time NHL scoring record Friday night, the Great One was ready for it.

Gretzky took Ovechkin's historic goal in stride, as was to be expected given what he told reporters before the Capitals' game against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Gretzky, who once stood alone with an NHL record of 894 goals that he set before retiring in 1999, shared his honest thoughts on seeing Ovechkin get closer and closer to surpassing that feat this season.

"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," Gretzky said. "That's the hockey league, right? From Beliveau to Howe, Orr, Lemieux, Messier, you pass it down. You guys might not believe me, but if somebody breaks Alex's record, I hope Alex is there to shake his hand. Right now, I hope Alex enjoys it. He deserves all the credit and accolades he's getting."

Ovechkin entered Friday's game with 892 goals and tied Gretzky's record in the third period. The moment he did was so, so special:

Ovechkin, 39, finished with two goals in the Capitals' 5-3 win and just needs one more to officially become the NHL's most prolific goal scorer in history.

“I don’t care what era you play in, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, it's hard to score goals," continued Gretzky. "In 20 years from now, we're gonna see these kids come along and we'll go, 'Wow, these guys are really good.' And that's a good thing."

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Kristen Wong
KRISTEN WONG

Kristen Wong is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020. Before joining SI in November 2023, Wong covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL Network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. Outside of work, she has dreams of running her own sporty dive bar.

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