Gretzky passed Hall of Famer Gordie Howe in 1994, and he held the record for 31 years and 14 days before Ovechkin toppled it on Sunday. The climb for Ovechkin was a long and steady one as the Washington Capitals superstar has cranked out one 40-goal season after another since his rookie season in 2005-06.

Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (right) speaks at a press conference with Wayne Gretzky after the game against the

Alex Ovechkin has broken Wayne Gretzky’s record for the most goals in NHL history by scoring the 895th of his career. The Washington Capitals’ captain made history Sunday against the New York Islanders by beating fellow Russian Ilya Sorokin on a power play with 12:34 left in the second period.