Alex Ovechkin speaks out on his hat-trick against Oilers as quest for Wayne Gretzky’s NHL goal record continues

By Nestor Quixtan

Modified Feb 23, 2025 22:11 GMT

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Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin is hunting toward Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal-scoring mark courtesy of a hat trick against the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday afternoon at the Capital One Arena. His triple strike, which included an empty-netter, catapulted the Caps to a massive 7-3 win.

Ovechkin spoke to the TNT studio panel, discussing his performance and the team's win.

“You know, the kids love hockey. They know why we play," Ovechkin said when asked about how memorable the win was for him and his family. "Obviously, we played against one of the best teams in the league, two best players out there. And it's nice to get a win. It's nice to get a couple of goals.”

Then, Ovechkin took the time to praise his team, giving his teammates credit, notably Tom Wilson. Ovechkin declared:

“So yeah, I'm pretty sure they're going to be happy. But you know, what's I like about this team? We stick together. We play for each other, and everybody knows the rules.” Ovechkin added. "You know, obviously, how I said we play best one of the best teammates and shell, and two best players, and we play solid against those guys.”

Lastly, Alex Ovechkin addressed questions about the Capitals’ success and his quest for Gretzky’s all-time goal-scoring mark by stating:

“Yeah the atmosphere in the locker room is unbelievable. The most important thing for us is to keep playing like that, keep collecting points, and make the playoffs, and see what happens.”

Thus far, the Washington Capitals seem to be the team in the NHL with 84 points following back-to-back wins this weekend. As for Ovechkin’s achievements, he seems more fixated on winning as a team than breaking records.

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Alex Ovechkin moves closer to Gretzky, eyeing record-breaking goal this season

Sunday afternoon’s hat trick gave Alex Ovechkin 882 career goals. That total moved Ovechkin 12 goals away from tying the Great One. After recording his 32nd career hat trick, Ovechkin has 25 games to tie Gretzky.

While it’s certainly doable for Ovechkin to score 12 in 25 games, the record breaker may have to wait till next season. As NHL.com’s tracker noted, Gretzky scored his 882nd goal on Mar. 22, 1998, as a member of the New York Rangers. His goal against the Philadelphia Flyers took the game despite Gretzky’s 882nd tally being the equalizer in the matchup.

On the contrary, Alex Ovechkin’s 882nd was an empty-netter that sealed the victory for the Capitals over the powerhouse Edmonton Oilers. Here’s a look at the goal:

The shot fired from inside Washington’s zone capped off a strong game and moved Ovechkin one more step closer to NHL immortality. Hockey fans worldwide will continue to hold their collective breaths as Ovechkin’s chase continues.