While Ovechkin’s milestone moment will go down as one of the highlights of his career, he initially passed on the goal. Skating into the Jets’ zone, with a clear shot at a gaping net for No. 802, Ovechkin decided instead to pass to teammate Evgeny Kuznetsov, who gave the puck right back.
“I gave it to Kuzy and he was like, ‘I don’t want to take it,'” Ovechkin told reporters.
For his part, Kuznetsov said he would’ve felt bad for scoring, adding that he also didn’t want “half of the world” mad at him.
Howe’s son, Hall of Famer Mark Howe, congratulated Ovechkin for passing his father via a video posted by the Capitals’ on Twitter.
“You’ve been a pleasure to watch. You’re one of very few people in this game to me that bring a wow factor,” Howe said. “You embrace the fans – you’re everything that my mother and father would be very proud of. I know if they were here today, they would be at this hockey game; they’d be the first to congratulate you.”
Howe ended his good wishes by saying, “Now it’s time to set new goals for No. 99,” hinting at Ovechkin’s next pursuit, Wayne Gretzky.
Ovechkin now stands alone, second all-time in goals scored, trailing only “The Great One,” who’s still atop the list with 894 goals.
