Alex Ovechkin lit the hockey world on fire on Sunday afternoon when he scored the record-breaking 895th goal of his career. Ovechkin entered the game against the New York Islanders in a tie with Wayne Gretzky for the all-time goalscoring lead, and scored the goal halfway through the second period. With Gretzky, Gary Bettman, Ovechkin's family, and thousands of Washington Capitals fans in attendance, Ovechkin put away the record with a classic powerplay snipe from the top of the left faceoff circle.
Alex Ovechkin's career goals broken down by opponent 🤯 pic.twitter.com/kOuQYckJVJ
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) April 6, 2025
The Winnipeg Jets franchise is the team that Ovechkin scored the most goals against with 57. That stat is a bit misleading, as most of those goals came when the Atlanta Thrashers were a division rival. The Carolina Hurricanes (52) and Philadelphia Flyers (52) round out the top three. The Canadiens have been good at slowing down Ovechkin compared to the rest of the Eastern Conference. It makes sense, as Carey Price vs. Oveckin was one of the most dramatic battles of the past two decades.
One of the most incredible Ovechkin performances against the Canadiens came against Cristobal Huet and the Canadiens in 2008. It was the perfect mix of goals in that game, as he started the scoring with a top of the circle one timer snipe on the powerplay. He scored one in close after a nice pass from his defenseman and one off the rush with a patented wrist shot through the defender's legs. It ended with another one in tight in overtime for his fourth goal of the night.
You'll also remember his classic goal when he spun around Roman Hamrlik and finished the goal on his side/back against Price. The record-breaking goal and the goal on his back against the Arizona Coyotes will steal many of the highlight packs when we reminisce about Ovechkin's career. However, the goal against the Canadiens won't be far behind on the top-ten lists.
It sucks to see highlights of Ovechkin scoring on your favorite team. However, when something like this comes along, we have to appreciate greatness for what it is. Many thought Gretzky's record was unbreakable, but Ovechkin proved nothing is impossible. For many of the young Canadiens and other players around the league, Ovechkin will be the player they label as their role model.