Passion pushes historic mark for Capitals' Alex Ovechkin

If youre a loyal reader of mine, you know how much I love the sport of hockey.

Its my entire life.

Why am I writing this? Its because history has been made in not just the hockey world, but across the sports universe.

And mine of course.

On April 6, 2025 at UBS Arena on Long Island, Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin finally broke Wayne Gretzkys record for most goals in NHL history, with his 895th career goal, officially cementing himself as the greatest goal-scorer in the history of the sport and completing the "Gr8 Chase." ADVERTISEMENT A sight weve seen 894 times before this and each and every single time has been in a Capitals sweater.

Thank you, O!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/NgDK9EZopG Before Sunday, on Friday, April.

4 at Capital One Arena in Washington D.C., the Capitals captain tallied twice to tie Gretzkys 894 goal-mark to own a share of the record against the Chicago Blackhawks.

The building was so loud that the roof was going to come off, and you could feel it through the TV.

He could have capped the night off with a hat trick to complete the chase, with multiple scoring chances late in the game.

EIGHT.

NINETY.

FOUR.

WE ARE WITNESSING GR8NESS.

pic.twitter.com/6ia09pU2OF This was a record that seemed insurmountable 10 years ago, and it has been building up for the past three or so seasons.

Ovechkin himself said it was impossible for someone to break a record that, until now, was untouchable for the past 31 years.

Before I dive into why this is significant, I recently found this out.

During the 2004-05 NHL Lockout, the IIHF World Junior Championships, was held at Ralph Engelstead Arena in Grand Forks.

That is where Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, his longtime rival, met for the first time.

Who knew that two bonafide future hall-of-famers would battle it out at the international level in the small town of Grand Forks, North Dakota? Now turning to the present.

In an era where goalies are more skilled and more athletic, the Great 8 (one of Ovechkin's many nicknames) continue to pile pucks into the back of the net.

Even as he got older, he would still record numbers that left people thinking, "How is he doing this at this age?" ADVERTISEMENT Sure, hes had some bumps in the road where people thought, "Maybe, him breaking the record wont happen." Last year he was off to one of the worst starts of his career, scoring 9 goals in the first 44 games of the season.

This year, he suffered a fractured fibula and missed 16 games, which was the most in his storied career.

Injuries have been a rarity for the 39-year-old superstar, which is remarkable considering how heavy he plays the game.

And despite missing those 16 games, he tied Gretzky in career game No.

1,486, one less game than when the Great One tallied 894.

Nothing brought me more joy than seeing Ovechkin hoist the Stanley Cup in 2018.

Years and years of heartbreak finally paid off.

Every playoff loss I would be in shambles, and during each play I would scream at my TV acting as if I was behind the bench.

(You can ask my parents about that to back it up).

While the milestones are certainly historic and it is what makes Ovechkin one of the greatest players to ever play the game, heres what doesnt get talked about enough: his passion for the game and for scoring goals.

He celebrates every goal like its the first of his career.

And hes scored 895 of them.

Not only that, but he celebrates just as hard when his teammates score.

Im sure the people on the Dickinson hockey teams are aware of this milestone, but not a lot of you are Capitals fans, or maybe even hockey fans.

But youve probably seen me around the rink when covering a game, wearing a Capitals jersey or a Penn State jersey.

Why? Its because of my love of the game, just like Ovi.

For any young sports fan in the Dickinson area, having true passion and enthusiasm for what you put your mind to, can mean everything.

Back in February I wrote a story on Midgets senior goaltender Olivia Vaagen, who's nickname on the team was "O.V." in honor of Ovechkin.

ADVERTISEMENT I'm sure she's just as happy right now as all Caps fans.

Just like Ovechkin, Vaagen had her good days in the crease, and games where she struggled.

It was to the point where she almost hung up the skates.

But her coaches and teammates pushed her to continue playing, and she turned out to be the backbone of the Midgets this past season.

Its been a pleasure to watch Alex Ovechkin on a nightly basis and for him to finally reach this historic feat can be described in two words, as long time Capitals play-by-play broadcaster Joe Beninati said: Simply Sensational..

This article has been shared from the original article on thedickinsonpress, here is the link to the original article.