Alex Ovechkin joins Wayne Gretzky as only players with 1,000 regular season, playoff goals

The 40-year-old Capitals superstar broke Gretzky's previous regular-season record of 894 goals on April 6, 2025.

Mar. 22, 2026 at 9:19pm

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Alex Ovechkin, the 40-year-old Washington Capitals superstar, has joined Wayne Gretzky as the only players in NHL history to score 1,000 goals across the regular season and playoffs. Ovechkin reached the milestone with a power-play goal in the third period against the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday.

Why it matters

Ovechkin's achievement cements his status as one of the greatest goal scorers in NHL history, joining the legendary Wayne Gretzky as the only players to reach the 1,000-goal milestone when combining regular season and playoff tallies. This milestone further solidifies Ovechkin's place among the all-time greats of the sport.

The details

Ovechkin broke Gretzky's previous regular-season record of 894 goals on April 6, 2025, against the New York Islanders. His 26th goal of the current season on Sunday gave him 923 regular-season goals, to go along with the 77 he has scored in 161 playoff games. Gretzky has 1,016 NHL goals between the regular season and playoffs.

  • Ovechkin broke Gretzky's previous regular-season record of 894 goals on April 6, 2025, against the New York Islanders.
  • On Sunday, Ovechkin scored his 1,000th goal across the regular season and playoffs with 5:43 left in the third period against the Colorado Avalanche.

The players

Alex Ovechkin

A 40-year-old superstar forward for the Washington Capitals who is now the second player in NHL history to score 1,000 goals across the regular season and playoffs, joining Wayne Gretzky.

Wayne Gretzky

Considered the greatest hockey player of all time, Gretzky holds the NHL record for most goals scored in the regular season and playoffs combined with 1,016 tallies.

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The takeaway

Ovechkin's historic achievement of joining Gretzky as the only players to score 1,000 combined regular season and playoff goals cements his status as one of the greatest goal scorers in NHL history and further solidifies his place among the all-time greats of the sport.