Connor McDavid reacts to Alex Ovechkin breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL goal record. (Credits: IMAGN)

On Sunday, Alex Ovechkin did the once unthinkable. He passed Wayne Gretzky to stand atop the sport with the most goals scored. Despite missing a chunk of games this season with a leg injury, Ovechkin has been on a tear while on the ice.

He has 69 points in 61 games, recording those points on the strength of an impressive 42 goals. That allowed him to surge past Gretzky with a few games remaining on the schedule this year.

Connor McDavid, his era’s version of Ovechkin, shouted out his predecessor after the iconic goal. He said:

“Congrats, Ovie! What an amazing accomplishment. Honestly, the greatest goal-scorer of all time. Such an amazing feat, it’s been so fun to watch you chase this down. What can you really say? It’s been amazing. Happy for you, happy for your family, all the best. Enjoy!”

McDavid has 26 goals in 63 games played this year. He has 361 goals in 708 games (10 seasons), so he’s a little off the pace to catch Ovechkin in that category.

Alex Ovechkin’s record goal was the solitary strike in the 4-1 New York Islanders defeat. The Washington Capitals captain – assisted by Tom Wilson – struck the puck past Ilya Sorokin on a power play in the second period.

What Alex Ovechkin said about his record goal

Alex Ovechkin now stands atop the all-time goals leaderboard for the NHL, a feat that even the forward thinks will take some time to feel real. He reached 895 goals in 1487 games.

Alex Ovechkin set the new record for most goals in NHL history. (Imagn)

“I’m probably gonna need a couple more days or maybe a couple weeks to realize what does it mean to be No. 1. I’m really proud for myself,” Ovechkin said via AP. “I’m really proud for my family, for all my teammates that help me to reach that milestone and for all my coaches. It’s huge. It’s unbelievable. It’s unbelievable moment, and I’m happy,” the Capitals star said.

Ovechkin has at least a few more games to add to his tally this year, but at 39, there’s no telling how many more seasons the veteran has left.