The Russian NHL star added to his historic tally in the final game before the playoffs
Russian hockey star Alexander Ovechkin has extended his record goal tally in the National Hockey League (NHL) by scoring in the Washington Capitals’ final regular-season game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday.
Earlier this month, the 39-year-old Capitals forward broke the long-standing NHL record set by Canadian hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, scoring his 895th goal during a game against the New York Islanders.
Ovechkin continued his streak on Thursday against the Penguins, adding three more points, including his 897th career goal, which came in the second period.
Despite the game ending in a 5-2 win for the Penguins, the Pittsburgh team saluted Ovechkin with a video congratulating him on becoming the NHL’s goal king. The Penguins’ Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin also met with Ovechkin outside the Capitals’ locker room after the game and gifted him a Rolex watch.
After the Russian star broke Gretzky’s record earlier this month, he was also congratulated by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who applauded Ovechkin’s “outstanding achievement.” US President Donald Trump also hailed Ovechkin as a “great player@ and a “gentleman.”
Ovechkin is a three-time world champion with the Russian national team and won the 2018 Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals, the team he has spent his entire NHL career with.
Ahead of his milestone achievement, the Russian Embassy in the US noted that “literally all of America” had rallied behind Ovechkin’s pursuit of Gretzky’s record, which had stood since 1999, and noted a soaring interest in a future match between Russian and North American teams.
The idea of a Russia-US hockey match was also discussed between Trump and Putin during their phone call on March 18. According to the Kremlin, the two leaders considered hosting a series of games between American and Russian players from the NHL and Russia’s counterpart, the KHL.
